Complicated Mess
by rika195
Summary: Danny is bored, and uses the newly improved ghostcatcher to split himself from his ghost side, so he can clean his room faster. But his parents capture his ghost half! What crazy events occur after that? All kinds of stuff! [before PP]
1. The Split: part 1

**Complicated Mess**

A Danny Phantom Story

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It's just a story about Danny Fenton's life, if he separated himself from his ghost powers. It's just for fun. Hope you enjoy it! It's set in a time frame where Phantom Planet never happened, and is kind of an AU story. Which means it isn't real, and probably doesn't ever happen. I just felt like writing it.

I don't own Danny Phantom, and I never will. Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman and Nickalodean. Or however you spell it.

And this is my first DP story. PLEASE critique me.

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Chapter One

Danny's POV:

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I glared at my room, the piles of clothes, books, papers, blankets, sheets, school supplies and random Fenton gadgets blanketing the floor. With all the time I spent fighting ghosts, hanging out with my friends, cleaning up the lab that the Box Ghost messed up after I had JUST cleaned it, and trying to do my homework, I always failed to remember that my room was a mess, and desperately needed cleaning.

It was just my luck that this entire week I had nothing to do. Sam was traveling with her family over Spring Break, and Tucker was on restriction for some reason or other. Jazz and Mom were at some kind of meeting for smart people, or something odd like that. And so that left me and Dad alone at the house for most of the week. To top it all off, the ghost portal had been closed, and there had been no ghost attacks the last two days. It was so weird that I found himself practically going crazy from boredom. What could I possible do?

Well there were two options. The first one would be do go downstairs and suffer through Dad talking about his new ghost inventions, while the other was to clean to my room. Neither looked very exciting.

"I hate to say it," I moaned, rubbing my face with my hands, "but cleaning my room is a heck of a lot safer than seeing if I can survive Dad's newest ghost hunting invention." I stared at the mess in my room with a shudder. "But why do I have to do it alone? Why can't I get someone to help me? It just figures I'd be stuck alone on a boring day." I jumped off my bed and landed on the messy floor, and bent over to pick up a book. This was going to be a long night. And cleaning was only going to make it more boring.

"DANNY!" Jack Fenton called excitedly from downstairs. "I'm on a break through! Come down and hold this for me! QUICK!"

I found himself sighing and trudging out of my room and down the stairs to the Lab, compelled by the urgency in Dad's voice. I knew I probably would have been safer if I just stayed upstairs, but cleaning my room alone sounded way to boring. And there weren't any ghosts to distract me either. "What is it now?" I asked, not trying to take the groan out of my voice. As soon as I entered the lab, Dad thrust a familiar Fenton Device in my hands. I stared up at the strange round net-shaped device, a glowing green web in the ring. The Fenton Ghost Catcher.

"I've discovered something amazing!" Dad exclaimed happily, still wearing his orange jumpsuit. "It seems I've discovered that the Fenton Ghost Catcher had some major problems. So I've altered its function to be more efficient!" He raised a fist in the air in excitement.

I felt a shiver of cold fear run down my spine, and tried my best not to show it. "Um…and what exactly does it do now?" I asked nervously. This could turn out badly. I remembered the time where I accidentally flew through it and separated himself, resulting in my ghost self being responsible while my human self was just a lazy kid. It had caused some problems, but luckily it managed to make me one person again. I sighed at the memory. "And why am I holding it?"

"You'll see, Danny-boy!" Dad smiled happily. "It's now designed to separate a ghost from his powers completely, leaving it too weak to escape! And if we place it right in front of the Ghost Portal, any ghost that comes through will end up powerless!" He grinned wider and wider as he spoke. "Finally we'll get a chance to capture a ghost and take it apart, molecule by molecule!"

My eyes widened in surprise. Did my Dad just come up with an actually really good idea? "Dad….that's great…" I managed to blurt. I winced slightly, thinking about what could happen. I pictured someone like Walker flying through the portal, only to find that he was powerless, and smiled at the thought. Then I pictured the Box Ghost flying through, and felt somewhat guilty. All the ghosts I'd fought….did I really want to see them dissected? I shivered. "But….isn't that kind of mean? I mean….taking it apart molecule by molecule?"

"Of course not. Ghost don't have feelings. Don't be ridiculous! Now hold it tight!" Dad lifted a few screwdrivers and other tools and began to do the finishing touches on the Ghost Catcher, and then stepped back. "Perfect! Now Danny, stand over there."

I let go of the Ghost Catcher, and stepped to the spot Dad indicated. I had a bad feeling I should probably escape to my room while I still had the chance, but the prospect of cleaning still seemed boring. I sighed in frustration. Might as well get it over with…

"Okay Danny! Watch this!" Dad lifted a Fenton Bazooka, and pointed it at me through the Fenton Ghost Catcher. "Ready….Aim…."

My eyes widened in shock. "DAD NO!" I held my arms over my face in terror, and cringed as Dad belted the word "FIRE!" and shot at his own son through the net of the Ghost Catcher. Wind blasted around my arms and face, and then there was nothing. I blinked and peeked through my arms at Dad. What happened?

"It worked!" Dad exclaimed happily. He walked over to me proudly, not even noticing how I twitched with nervous relief. "The Fenton Ghost Catcher has successfully removed the power from the ecto-plasmic blast, rendering it useless! It completely separates anything ghostly from its powers!"

"Does….it work the other way around, too?" I asked hesitantly. "I mean, if you put a ghost and his powers through the _other_ side of the net at the same time, would they merge again?"

"Well….I don't know if that's even possible," Dad shrugged. "I guess it might work. But we wont be telling any ghosts that, now will we?" he winked and elbowed me in the shoulder. "What do you think?"

"Uh…great!" I stepped backwards towards the stairs. "But I should really be cleaning my room…"

"Good idea, Danny! Go for it!"

I sighed and made my hasty retreat back to my room, and threw myself on my bed. "Well….for once my Dad makes something that's not going to kill me if I get to close." I closed my eyes and chuckled. "Well…I'm half-dead anyway. Not that I'd want to find out what would happen if I died…."

I stared at my ceiling for a long time, trying to motivate myself to get up and work. I could only think about how much more fun it would be if I had someone with me…someone to hang out with and help me clean up…like Tucker. Or Sam. Or…

My eyes blinked with realization. Separate a ghost from his powers…..what if it did the same thing as last time? What if it separated me into two again? My human self and my ghost self? Perhaps this time it wouldn't separate my personality too. I smirked at the ridiculous idea, and chided himself for even thinking of it. Still….it would be an interesting experiment…

I quickly forced myself to get off the bed and start cleaning. I shouldn't even be thinking about something like that. I should be thinking about cleaning my room. Who knew what kinds of disastrous things could occur if I tried it? But… Dad did say that it could be reversed….I groaned and stopped cleaning for the moment, mildly surprised at how much I'd already completed. It was almost a third of the way done.

"They say curiosity killed the cat," I mumbled, grabbing my head and groaning out loud. "But I say it's going to kill Danny Fenton!" I couldn't hold it any longer. I had to see if it would work. And yet at the same time, I couldn't even believe I was that desperate!

Slowly, I crept down to the lab, watching Dad mess with some new invention. My eyes raked over the Ghost Catcher, my mind thinking. Last time, going through one side split a ghost, while going through the other merged it together. But it also split personalities and things like that. But now, it was supposed to split a ghost of his power through one side, and possible give the power back through the other. It was worth a shot, right? Grinding my teeth together, I took one last glance at my oblivious father, and stuck my hand through the splitting side of the net. I almost gasped when two hands stuck out from the other side. One of them was my regular hand, while the other was gloved in white from my Phantom costume. I smirked happily and wiggled both sets of fingers. It looked like it was working to me….

"Here goes the worst idea I've ever tried," I thought, pulling my arm out. I turned to my Dad. "Hey Dad? Why don't I take this Ghost Catcher upstairs for now? I mean…you're working on something else, and you don't want it to get damaged, right? Besides, you'll want Jazz and Mom to see it when they come home!"

Dad brightened instantly at my cleverly brilliant idea. "That's a great idea, son!" he exclaimed. "Go ahead! I'm working on something new right now! It's…"

I didn't wait to hear the rest. I grabbed the Ghost Catcher and dashed up the stairs, setting it down in the living room. I readied myself, trying to convince myself to do something else with my boredom, but I didn't have the chance. I jumped through the net and landed with a thud on the other side.

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Okay so it's my first Danny Phantom story, but I love that show, and he's freakin awesome. If you don't know anything about Danny Phantom, then why are you reading this story? Lol. I know, you guys think I should go back to writing my other stories, but I really wanted to write this one! And also, I had to do something to pass the time. It's just...yeah. I know I should be doing my other stories, cause I've already started too many, but what the heck? I might as well add this one up too. I've been writing it for a while now anyway.

So tell me what you think, and be honest. If you've never watched the show, I'll tell you just a couple things. First, it's awesome and hilarious. Second, it's ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. lol. Butch Hartman is a genius. (He's the guy who created Danny Phantom). Yeah. I'm done talking.

So what are you waiting for? Review! Comment! Flame! Criticize! I can take anything, and flames don't bother me. You're silly for writing them, but a lot of times there's something useful I can glean from them. So push that button! I know you want to!

Rika195


	2. The Split: part 2

**Complicated Mess**

A Danny Phantom Story

Disclaimer on the first chapter

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**Danny Fenton:** son of Jack and Maddie Fenton, who are obsessed ghost hunters who have never caught a ghost. He has an older sister named Jasmine or Jazz for short, and two best friends called Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson. Sam would kill you if you called her Samantha. Danny's parents built a portal to the ghost zone when he was 14, but it didn't work. He went in to see if he could fix it, and pressed a button that shocked him. He fixed it, but not before it half killed him, resulting in making him a human-ghost hybrid known as a "halfa". With the ability to change into his ghost half "Danny Phantom", he used his powers to fight other ghosts and protect his city, Amity Park, while at the same time tried to keep his identity a secret. His parents would give anything to catch Danny Phantom and take him apart molecule by molecule. As you can imagine, his life is a hectic one, especially since his parents come up with new ghost hunting inventions every day. So there's a summary on Danny. A really short one. I'm not going to give you another one. Happy? Okay let's go.

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Thank you so much to my awesome reviewers: **cordria **and **hikarisailorcat**! You guys are so awesome, and your reviews were very sweet! I was surprised to get any reviews at all! This chapter is dedicated to you guys!

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Chapter Two

Phantom's POV:

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I blinked, staring at the floor of the living room, and then stood up. Did it work? Did I split? Quickly I looked around me, and nearly cried out with ridiculously pleased surprise when I saw me standing up from the floor. It was me! As a human! I couldn't help grinning. There I stood, blinking at myself with wide blue eyes, wondering if any permanent damage was done. I decided to take the plunge and ask. "So?" I asked. "Did it work?"

The human me stared at me with a slowly spreading grin. "Yeah," he said. I couldn't help but notice that his emotions were just the same as mine. I knew that it was me I was staring at, but something made me feel like I was talking to another person…like last time. It was weird to have two of me. "So Phantom," he said casually. He was staring at my appearance, and I followed his eyes to see that I was wearing my black and white jumpsuit, and had snowy-white hair. Our eyes met again after a second. "Wanna help me clean my room?" my human self asked.

Instantly I remembered why I'd split myself to begin with. Oh yeah. That. I let out a bored sigh and scratched my neck like I always tend to do. I guess this is some kind of test he's giving me, to make sure that I'm still him. Or that he's still me. But I'm pretty sure it worked. We're both the same…just one of us is a ghost and the other isn't. "Um….I guess," I replied slowly. "Do we have to do it right now?" I already knew what he was going to say. It's exactly what I would have said.

"Dad's going to find us if we don't go right now."

I nodded. "I know."

He grinned widely. "Well come on! We'll figure something else to do when we get there. This could be fun! Right?"

"I guess….as long as Mom and Dad don't find out." I shuddered. "This would be a _great _opportunity to get the ghost they've always wanted to experiment on."

Danny shuddered, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. Heck, he was me! "Let's hurry." He dashed up the stairs, and I flew after him. I didn't even bother to follow him through the door, I just phased through the wall. As soon as we were inside, he closed the door and turned to me. "So far so good," he said smugly. "Now I can clean my room double time!"

I couldn't help grinning. "Yeah. What 'fun'. Hey, I have an idea!"

He was already speaking before I finished talking. "One of us work while the other doesn't? Nuh-uh. I already thought of that, and I don't think it's fair." He glared at me. "Believe me when I say that although I really want to goof off, and so do you, we'll both end up feeling like we didn't actually goof off. So it's defeated in the end."

"Okay good point." I sighed. "Might as well start cleaning."

We both grimaced at each other, and got to work. Things started to go quickly. We kept asking questions, just to make sure we were the same person, and found that more and more it was like talking to a best friend than it was talking to myself. I had fun! Both of me had fun! And pretty soon, the room was clean. It seemed we had lost track of time.

"Wow!" we both exclaimed at the same time. "I'm going to do this next time I have to clean up! It goes way faster!" We both grinned sheepishly at each other.

"I think it's time to goof off," Danny grinned, running a hand through his black hair. "Say….Doomed III?" He knew that we both love the game. Cause we're the same person, after all.

"Why not?" I shrugged and joined him at the computer, floating in a sitting position as he seated himself in the chair. "It'll pass the time at least."

"Yep."

The two of us signed on and began to play, becoming totally oblivious to everything around us. We were laughing and joking, seeing how many times we could say the same thing at exactly the same time, and all other sorts of ridiculous stuff. I found myself thinking how fun it was to just be 15, not have a care in the world, and be able to have someone to hang out with…even if it was just myself. We totally lost track of time. I was really enjoying myself.

I don't think either of us saw it coming. We were too wrapped up in enjoying ourselves in our clean room. But when it came, we were both too shocked to do anything about it. It was too late.

I gasped in shock as a net flew out of nowhere and grabbed me, forcing me into a scrunched position as it pulled me away from the computer and onto the ground. I tried to phase out of it, and was rewarded with a strong electrical shock. It was ghost proof.

"MOM!" my human self screamed. I rolled over and stared up at my parents, watching my human self run over to my side. I just hoped I'd be able to do something about this mess. "DON'T HURT HIM!"

"Honey this is the ghost-boy!" Mom said with excitement and resentment in her voice. "Why were you hanging out in your room with him? Don't tell me you've been friends with him this whole time! He's a ghost! Ghosts are evil! He's probably been using you!"

I sighed in frustration. "I'm NOT evil, okay, M-Maddie?" I caught myself almost saying Mom, and remembered why it wasn't such a good idea. Mom didn't know yet about my ghost side. I still was unable to bring myself to tell her.

"Don't talk to me, ghost! I know you may have been able to trick my son, but not me!" Mom pointed her ecto-gun in my face, practically thrilled that she finally had me. I couldn't help groaning out loud.

"Mom…Phantom's not evil," my human half insisted. "Let him go right now! He's a good guy! He's the one who's been protecting this town for a year! If not for him, Amity Park would already be destroyed! Besides…he helped me clean my room."

"Then how do you explain all the times he's attacked people and caused damage? Or that time he was attacking YOU?" Mom explain simply, looking around the room with a bit of surprise at seeing how clean it was. But she brushed it off and kept talking. "Not to mention kidnapping and overshadowing people. We can't trust him. He's clearly tricked you! And why did you invite him into our house anyway?"

"Good thinking, Danny!" my Dad gave my human self a hard slap on the back. I winced, just picturing how it felt. "Trick the ghost into coming here so we could capture it!"

"No!" Danny—I found himself mentally calling him Danny instead of "me" now—threw his hands in the air in frustration. "Phantom is not evil, okay? Can't you guys see the proof? Let him go!"

"What's going on in here?" Jazz screamed. My entire family—myself included—all turned to see her glaring at us from the doorway. I couldn't help giving her a small smile and wave, which turned into a grin when her eyes widened in shock at seeing me separate from…well…myself. "Danny!" she screeched. "Tell me what's going on here!"

"It's Mom and Dad!" Danny complained. "They're think Phantom's evil!"

"He is, honey, he's just tricking you. Ghosts do that. Now step aside…."

"NO!" Danny stood in front of the net, between me and Mom. "I wont. And you're going to let him go!"

I watched the whole thing, afraid to say anything…afraid to move. I glanced at Jazz, who was still staring at us in confusion. I glanced at Dad, who was still excited to finally have caught me. I glanced at Mom, who was glaring at Danny and me as if I had done something terrible to him. I swallowed. I would have to speak. "Please," I said urgently, pleadingly. "I'm not evil! Your son and I are friends! He helps me hunt ghosts to protect our city! Please, you have to believe me! I haven't done anything to him!"

"Phantom is right," Jazz suddenly cut in. "I know a lot about him. He's not like the other ghosts! He's always been there to help, and he never fights back when you attack him!" She too stepped in between me and my parents, next to Danny. "You have to let him go!" By the way she kept glancing between Danny and me, I was sure that she just figured I'd duplicated myself. I _can_ do that…but that's not what the situation is right now.

"I don't know what has gotten into you kids!" Mom cried in disbelief. "Have you paid any attention at all to what's been happening? This is a ghost. All ghosts are evil, and they all lie. They are simply made of emotion, obsession, and energy. This one is no different. I'm not falling for its tricks!" She pulled the net toward her, ignoring my muffled cry when the movement caused the net to shock me. "Let your father and I handle this one."

Dad reach down and lifted the net, momentarily shocking me again. I cried out, trying desperately to escape, and gave a pleading glance at Danny and Jazz. They stared at me in horror when Mom and Dad made their way quickly to the lab. But what could we do? Any of us?

"No please, you don't understand!" I cried out. I knew that right then, I was separated into two people, Danny and Phantom. I knew that I was full ghost and he was full human. But I couldn't help feeling like I was still Danny, and my own parents were going to dissect me. It was terrifying, and still at the same time, my mind kept reminding me that we almost are two different people. I don't even understand how it works, but right now, he's Danny and I'm Phantom. And he just might possibly lose me.

Danny and Jazz followed us to the lab, yelling out their complaints. They covered every point, every issue, begging my parents to let me go. But would they listen? No. They wouldn't. They had finally caught their prize, and their kids were not going to ruin it for them.

"It's not like it has feelings, sweetie," Mom said, patting Danny on the head.

"Yes he does!" Danny screamed in rage. "As surely as I have feelings, so does he!"

I couldn't help smiling. "He's right, you know," I offered. It was definitely true. I know for sure that I have feelings for several reasons. One, I'm Danny and he's me. Two, I can get hurt, and I often do while protecting this stupid town. Three, I am scared out of my wits, and a little bit hurt. I kind of feel like I've been let down by my parents…and by myself. But how was I to know this would happen? If only I'd been paying attention…

I glanced up as the door shut, and suddenly realized that I was alone with Mom. Dad had taken Danny and Jazz upstairs, against their will. That meant that I was…I shivered, despite that I wasn't cold. I was doomed. "Maddie please," I begged. "Don't do this to me! I'm not a bad ghost, I promise! You have that Fenton Ghost Lie Detector, right? Use it on me! Let me prove to you that I'm not lying!"

I barely had time to register that I was being taken out of the net before a familiar pair of handcuffs were snapped around my wrists. They completely prohibited me from using my ghost powers. Great. I stared up at my Mom with fearful, helpless eyes as she dragged me to my feet and placed me on the table. I just sat there, staring at her, feeling hurt. Her eyes took me in, watching the way I sat there helplessly, seeing the tears that were growing behind my glowing green eyes, and then sighed. I knew that my mom wasn't heartless. I knew that she would never hurt a living creature.

But I was a ghost. I'm NOT a living creature. I'm dead. To her, all ghosts are evil, and they _always _lie. So even my tears were a lie to her, no matter how guilty I made her feel. She just didn't understand. Before I knew it, my tears were running down my cheeks, and I buried my face in my hands to stop them. "Please…" I begged. "You don't understand…I'm not a bad ghost! I only want to protect people! I only want to protect your family…your son…he's….my friend."

Mom sighed and grabbed my arm, yanking me off the table. I didn't even look to see where she was taking me, hoping that something I said would be able to change her mind. I know my Mom isn't cruel. I know she wouldn't do this if she just knew who I was. But how can I tell her? I'm two different people right now! Why did I ever go through that Ghost Catcher?

My eyes snapped open as I was shoved into a cage that has the ability to contain ghosts, and turned around to see Mom close it. She stood and stared at me, shaking her head, and then turned to walk out. I was confused until it suddenly hit me. Mom wasn't going to do anything to me just yet. She was going to give me a chance! I reached my cuffed hands out toward her as she left the room. "WAIT!" I called urgently. She turned to look at me with a skeptical face. I cringed, hating to see that expression on her. "Thank you," I said, hoping that she would listen to Danny when she left the lab.

"Don't thank me yet, ghost," she said. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time, and the only reason I'm putting it off is because you've tricked my children into believing you. And I want to set things straight before I get started." She turned and left the room, leaving me locked up in a cage.

All I could do was throw myself on the floor and cry. Why did my perfect evening have to get so ruined? And what would happen if I couldn't fight the ghosts? Sure, Dad's new idea would solve a lot of problems…but there was always Vlad's portal! I quivered as I sobbed, my detached mind wondering how I could even sob like this if I didn't even have lungs. But I couldn't think about it. I just wanted….I just wanted to get back to my other self…to Danny.

But…I didn't even feel like I _was _Danny anymore. It was almost like he was a totally different person. He was Danny and I was Phantom…and I was alone. "Danny…" I whispered through my tears. "Please save me….."

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Okay so here's the next chapter. Looking back, it's not that great, but I had fun writing it anyway. I actually wrote it a while ago, and didn't have the courage to upload this story till recently. Oh well. Here it is.

So you guys know that I'm depending on you to critique me and help me out. That means you have to review! (hehe)

See you next time!

Rika195


	3. The Split: part 3

**Complicated Mess**

A Danny Phantom Story

Disclaimer on the first chapter

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Thanks so much to my awesome reviewers: **KARASU25, cordria, FantomoDrako, Emily**, and **hikarisailorcat!** You guys are the best, and I am so thankful for your reviews! This chapter is dedicated to you!

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Please forgive me for randomly changing tenses in this chapter alone...I just didn't think it was as good when it was past tense. Hope it doesn't bug you to death...

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Chapter Three

Danny's POV:

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I don't even know how it happened, or why. It just kind of took over my mind and left me in so much shock that I couldn't even say anything. Not even Jazz could talk reason to me, or try to tell me that it wasn't true. But it is. I know it is.

I completely separated Phantom from myself. We have the same personality, the same memories, the same drive…but we're two different beings. We're not the same anymore.

When I realized this, I didn't want to believe it at first. It was just me, split in two. It's happened before. Right? But the thought wouldn't stop nagging me. Somehow, this was different. It was just like Dani. She's like my clone, or something like that. She's me, but she's a totally different person. And that's what I did to Phantom. My Dad was absolutely right when he said that the Ghost Catcher would separate a ghost from his powers. It did that completely. Now I'm just Danny. And he's…..he's trapped like an animal in a cage downstairs.

I can't even get my brain to work. All I can think about it him. What have I done to him? What have I done to myself? This is all my fault! I'm not even listening to Mom and Dad argue with Jazz about it. I can only bury my face in my hands and groan. How can I tell them that Phantom is not evil? How can I prove it? Is there even a way? And why didn't I tell them before about my powers? This would never have happened if I had! So much for a fun night of getting rid of my boredom. The fun part is nonexistent now. The boredom is definitely replaced with horror. Now what am I supposed to do?

"Mom, Dad, listen to me!" I yell. Everyone stops talking to look at me, surprised by my outburst. I look at them angrily, knowing that if I still had my powers, my eyes would be flashing green right now. "Listen," I hiss, clenching my hands into fists. "Phantom is not evil. And if you even think of doing any kind of experiment on him, then you better be prepared to do it to me too!"

"Danny!" Mom exclaims. "Don't be ridiculous! He's a ghost, and he's making you believe lies! He's probably overshadowed you!

My lips twitch in an attempt to hide a smile. No, not overshadowed, necessarily. It's much more complicated than that. "No Mom, I'm not tricked. I know very well that Phantom is not an evil ghost. He's the hero of this town, and if you try to hurt him then you'll be hurting me too. I wont let you experiment on him!"

Mom stands up, an angry expression on her face. I know she's going to punish me. "Danny, go to your room right now! And don't leave until I say so!" She points toward my room, giving me the _Mother Look_ that I can't ignore. I can't fight against it. When she gives me that look, she wins. No questions asked.

But I can't give up here. "Mom," I beg, clenching my teeth. "I can't sit by and let you hurt my friend. I can't and I wont. Please don't make me go to my room! I have to…"

"Daniel James Fenton," Mom yells, absolutely furious with me, "you should not talk back! I am your Mother, and I know what's best for you. I am giving you an order, and if you don't follow it, you will regret it!"

I cringe and pull back into the couch, scared. I'm not scared of her, that she will hurt me. She loves me, and she couldn't and wouldn't. It's not like that. But I am scared of what she's going to do. I know that I've lost, that I can't say anything to change my mind. And I'm scared of how extreme my solitary confinement is going to be. If I get locked up in my room, I wont have any ghost powers to help me out. And Phantom…he wont stand a chance. So all I can do is shiver as I stare up at her helplessly. There are tears trying to escape from my icy-blue eyes, but I'm trying hard not to let them.

Mom has won. I have to go upstairs, and there's nothing I can say to make her back down. All I can do is hope that she listened to me, and that she listens to Jazz. Slowly, I stand up and head for my room. I stop when I reach the stairs, and turn around to face her. "Don't hurt him," I plead angrily, the tears finally breaking lose from my eyes. "Please Mom…you don't understand. He's not an evil ghost. He's my friend. He just wants to protect us." I turn and run up the stairs, not even noticing the expression on my Mom's face. If I had, I would have noticed a look of déjà vu. But I can't think about it as I hurry down the hall, throwing myself into my clean room that Phantom helped me clean, and end up with my face in my arms on the floor. I'm so angry...so upset...so scared...And now there's nothing I can do. I don't have my ghost powers anymore, all thanks to a stupid whim I knew was a bad idea to begin with. So why did I do it? I still don't know. I guess it's because I really am stupid sometimes.

My body trembles as wave after wave of horrific thoughts make themselves known in my mind. Mom and Dad are going to experiment on him. I couldn't reach my Mom and stop her. It's all up to Jazz now. And there's nothing I can do. Those thoughts are tormenting me, and all I can think about is _him_.

He's Phantom. He's me. How can I live without him?

"Please…." I whisper into my arms. "Don't hurt him. Don't hurt…..me."

My eyes close, and I feel myself slip into a zoned-out semi-consciousness, the only thing I can do to keep myself from picturing all the horrible tests that can be done on my poor ghost half…tearing him apart molecule by molecule. I hope my mind stops thinking. My shudders are getting worse.

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Yeah it's short...and sorry its so angsty.

Review? Please? You're the best!

--Rika195


	4. The Split: part 4

**Complicated Mess**

A Danny Phantom Story

Disclaimer on the first chapter

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Hey everyone! Thanks so much to these awesome reviewers: **black peeches, gothangel12345, cordria, hikarisailorcat, FantomoDrako,** and **dark-angel miyuki!** You guys are so nice to keep reading and reviewing my story, and it means so much to me that you take the time to point out places where I can fix things. Without you, this story would be dull. Thank you so much! This chapter is dedicated to you six!

P.S. Does anyone want to be a proof-reader for me? I wrote this a while ago, and am only uploading it now. So I think it needs some work, and sometimes I can't see everything that should be fixed. No one has to, but if you're interested, just let me know! Thanks!

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**Please Read:** I must clear this up before continuing. Many of you were concerned that I would make this a DPxDF story. I have good news for you. This story is NOT a slash, and Danny does NOT fall in love with himself. That's just ridiculous and rather disgusting, and the thought makes me want to go throw up for an hour or two, and then take a chemical shower or something. So I want you all to know ahead of time so that you don't get the wrong idea and leave my story feeling disgusted. The closest Danny and his ghost half will get is feeling like brothers, because they are the SAME PERSON! Imagine duplicating yourself so that there are two of you. Would you fall in love with yourself? I highly doubt it. That said, I'll stop ranting now and go take that shower.

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Chapter Four

Phantom's POV:

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I had long-since stopped crying. The feeling of horror at being captured by my own parents had already died down, and was now replaced with sheer annoyance. Annoyance at not paying attention; at not being able to defend myself; at separating myself to begin with! How stupid can I get?

I blinked, then gave a wry chuckle. Did I really want that question to be answered? No. I don't think so. I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning my head on my arms again. So what was I supposed to do now?

It felt like time began to slow down, and I lost track of everything around me. I could vaguely hear the sound of arguing going on upstairs, punctuated every now and then with a loud yell. At one point, Danny screamed out something, and I jolted in the cage. But when I couldn't hear his voice again, I began to wonder if things were just going downhill. Would I ever get out of the mess I'd created for myself?

My thoughts drifted again, and I found myself thinking about the odd smell that lingered in the basement lab. It kind of smelled like burnt ecto-plasma, charred metal, melted plastic, broken vacuum-cleaner belt, or a sick combination of all of them. The grossness made my mouth twitch in an attempt to smile. Ah yes, the unbelievable stories behind the weird disasters that occur in the Fenton household. How I am well acquainted with them.

My mind stopped wandering when an annoyingly nagging thought entered my head and wouldn't leave me alone. If thoughts were tangible, this would be one that I'd kill three or four dozen times simply because it annoyed the heck out of me. However, thoughts are not tangible. And sneaky little thoughts like this one tended to know exactly how to get stuck, bugging you as best as it could. The thought was about the separation.

The Ghost Catcher was designed to separate a ghost from his powers, hence me separated from myself. But if that were the case, then that meant that one of us was the original, while the other was the copy. It was THAT thought that made my stomach twist up into knots. I hate mysteries, and I hate complicated problems that can't be solved just by looking at them. And while I'm at it, I hate logic puzzles too. That's what this nasty little bugger was. A logic puzzle. If one was us was the original Danny Phantom, then one of us had to be the copy. So either the Danny arguing upstairs is the real me, or I'm the real me.

But I feel like I'M the real Danny! Heck, I lived my entire life! I KNOW I'm Danny! I'm just…..just a ghost right now. So maybe I'm the real one. Then again, he probably feels the same as me, which means that we're both the real Danny. And if we both are, then there really is no "real" Danny. Right?

Wait, wait, wait…I growled in frustration and tried my hardest to stop thinking. STOP. THINKING. This was _not _something I needed to be arguing with myself over. Whatever the situation was, I decided it would be best to just accept that we were both Danny Phantom, and just happened to be separated into two halves.

Instantly, my mind felt relief from it's inner turmoil, and I gave a silent prayer of thanks. I hate school work, and I don't enjoy thinking really deeply like that either…which is what happens when I try to understand most of Mr. Lancer's assignments. So I was relieved not to have to think anymore on the annoying subject, and let my mind wander aimlessly, not really thinking about anything at all.

Then the light turned on, and my eyes snapped open.

I realized, as I began to become aware of my surroundings, that I must have been sleeping, although that's entirely ridiculous. Ghosts don't sleep. They don't need to. They can rest, and put themselves on some kind of frozen state as if they were on pause, and it restores energy. But I was neither tired nor very drained. So why had I "fallen asleep" so to speak? I smirked, triumphantly deciding that I was still the real Danny Phantom after all. We're one and the same, simply separated. And I _really _needed to stop thinking about that!

Too late. The damage was done, and I went back to thinking about it. And the more I thought about it, the more it almost made sense. But then again, my mind is messed up. I'm a 15-year-old teenager who's barely scraping by in school. So I'm not too surprised. Still, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to me that I could think of the Danny Fenton upstairs as someone besides myself…like a part of me that is separated…like a best friend or something, who knows absolutely everything about me…like a brother.

I felt a small ironic smile fill my face. A brother. I'd always wanted one, growing up. Always wondered what it would be like. I supposed that for now, I could consider myself gaining a twin or something, no matter how weird the thought may seem. Or perhaps it was Danny who had gained a brother? Gah! There's that stupid thought again! I quickly decided I didn't know and I didn't care. I just felt kind of happy, in a ridiculous way. As if my mind could get any more confusing. I decided instantly that I must be messed up, and tried again to stop thinking.

But the footsteps of someone walking up to me brought me back to the present, where I was locked in a cage, with the bright and happy future of getting ripped apart molecule by molecule if Danny didn't manage to save his…er…my….er…our?...buts. I sighed. What a weird situation.

"Alright Phantom," my Mom spoke to me. She stood in front of my cage with her hands on her hips, glaring at me. But her eyes were red, like she'd been crying. She looked so confused…so lost. As if she didn't know what to do. That sight gave me hope, and I stared at her pleadingly, a hopeful expression on my face. "Danny and Jazz are convinced that you are not an evil ghost, regardless of how ridiculous that is. So I've promised not to hurt you."

My face lit up, I'm sure of it. My hope was not in vain! Danny and Jazz saved me! I smiled triumphantly, and tried to smother the expression before Mom took it as a sign of my being evil or something. That would not be a good idea. "Thank you!" I said quickly. "I know you don't trust me, but it's all just a misunderstanding, really! I'm not evil, and I do everything I can to protect this family! Really!"

Mom's eyes narrowed at me. "Why?" she demanded. "Why do you want to protect this family? What is it to you?"

I was taken back by her accusing question, and cringed slightly. "Because…" I sighed and stared at her truthfully. "Because I can't help seeing you as my family too." I watched Mom's face take on an appearance of shocked disbelief. I hastily tried to explain. "Danny is like a brother to me, Maddie. And Jazz like a sister. They are there for me when I fight ghosts, and so are you! You and Jack do a lot for this town, and I have vowed to protect you and your family till the day I….die?" I couldn't help chuckling. "Okay that sounds weird." I shifted uncomfortably. "But the point is…I couldn't hurt you if the world depended on it. I couldn't hurt any of you. And I never will!" My hands clenched in determination. "I just wish….sometimes….that you didn't have to look at me like I was your enemy."

Mom was silent, actually listening to what I was saying. I stared up at her hopefully, wondering if she was actually taking what I said to heart, or if she was just surprised that the ghost in front of her was so delusional. I had a sinking feeling it was the latter. Finally, she took a breath of air and let it out as slowly as she could. I knew that she was going to speak, simply because I know her. I know her like she's my mom. And she is, in a way. I mean….she's Danny's Mom cause she gave birth to him, but I technically wasn't born from her. But she did build the machine that created me so….man there was that annoying puzzle again! I quickly dismissed it, simply because it was too complicated to think about. I waited for her to speak, afraid because I didn't know what she would say.

"I promised I wouldn't hurt you, and I will keep that promise," she said slowly, studying my reactions, and I stared at her expectantly. I knew something else was coming. "But Jack and I do have some tests that we'd like to do." I cringed. Right. And why did I think I was going to escape that? "You are a ghost, and you're the only one we've got in captivity. The tests we want to do will not hurt you, neither will they destroy you, or take you apart. They are for research, so that we can become better ghost hunters. If you are what you say you are, you will understand that these tests will help us." She narrowed her eyes further at me.

I was scared, to be honest, but actually more surprised than anything else. I knew that if they had a ghost to experiment on, Mom and Dad would be able to make more effective weapons. I was always afraid of that happening because I didn't want to be…well…in _this_ kind of situation. But I could see perfectly how doing these kinds of tests would not only help ghost hunting in general, but it would help my job. I'd be able to fight difficult enemies while knowing that my family and friends really would be safe. I could help them uncover things they've always wanted to know.

But I had also known that if Mom and Dad had a ghost to experiment, then it would mean letting them take it apart piece by piece. There were so many times, every single day, where I could have let them had that chance. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Yeah I fight ghosts and send them back to the Ghost Zone. But that's because they don't belong in the human world, and they shouldn't try to destroy it or control it. It was my self-imposed responsibility to make sure that they didn't get away with it. However, I was not so hard-hearted that I wanted to see those ghosts dissected by my parents. Sure there have been a couple enemies that I would love to see that happen to. But for the most part, I think I would die of guilt if I let one of the ghosts I'm constantly shoving back into the Ghost Zone get destroyed as a lab rat in my own house.

And yet my parents still have this almost childish delight with the prospect of doing just that. The thought always sickened me, especially since the accident that resulted in my becoming half-ghost. I figure it's not too hard to see why I've never let them catch or keep any ghosts.

But here I was, locked up in a cage, with the very fate that I'd been trying so hard to avoid. Only this time, there was hope for me. Mom and Dad still wanted a ghost, and thanks to me, they were unable to get one. They still wanted to do experiments, and were going to do them on me anyway, but now there was a way for me to win their trust without getting killed. They promised not to hurt me, dissect me, destroy me, take me apart, and all that other stuff that had been giving me nightmares when I had time to dream. Here was a chance for me to do something that would ultimately help everyone….if I managed to play my cards right.

If I let them experiment on me, I would save other ghosts from a terrible fate, I would not have to worry about suffering that same fate, I would not have to worry about the Guys In White, I would not have to worry about being far away from myself, I would be able to go and fight ghosts—courtesy of Danny unlocking the cage and letting me go when our parents aren't looking—and keep a close watch on the Ghost Portal at the same time, and I would be able to convince my parents of my not being evil. Ultimately, it was a great plus in comparison to the rest of my options. And it was one I'd be willing to take.

Mom must have seen the honest expressions of fear and trust mingled together in my eyes, because she continued to scrutinize me in confusion. She seemed to be studying me, like she didn't know what to think at all. I grinned widely, as my plan suddenly fell into place. I had just figured out the ticket to my survival.

"You're absolutely right!" I exclaimed, lifting myself up onto my hands and knees. The cage was too small for me to stand, but there was enough room to crouch. I continued to grin at her, knowing that for now I was safe. What I said next would only help to improve Mom's opinion of me. At least I hoped so. "I know how much you want to test ghosts, and find out more about them," I said honestly. It's what you've wanted for longer than I can remember. I know that you could learn so much, and be able to do so much more when it comes to Ghost Hunting and keeping this city safe. It makes perfect sense. I admit…I'm scared to death—no pun intended—over being dissected or something…I've always been. I never wanted to get experimented on, and I have to admit I still don't want to. I can't say I'd ever look on the idea with any warmth." I chuckled and rolled my eyes wryly. "But under these circumstances, I understand that it means a lot to you and Da-Jack…" I coughed at the slip-up, "…to understand more about ghosts. And I could provide that.

"I fight ghosts all the time, but I kind of felt guilty about letting them get caught and destroyed molecule by molecule. I just couldn't bring myself to let it happen. I know it would hurt, and I can't hurt anything without feeling guilty. But because of your compassion and willingness to listen to Danny and Jazz, you've given me a chance to give you what you always wanted. By submitting myself, I'd be saving everyone from a lot of pain. So…yeah I'm afraid, but I know how important this is." I stared at her with a determined smile, my green eyes dancing with the ghostly light they always carried. "I willingly submit myself for testing….just as long as you don't hurt me, destroy me, and that you let me fight ghosts when any try to destroy Amity Park." My eyes held hers in a questioning gaze. "Is that okay?"

Mom didn't know what to say. She just stared at me. I can honestly say that whatever she expected me to say, that was not it. She probably figured I'd complain, glare at her with evil eyes, and tell her that I'd escape and destroy the world or something. But when I finished speaking, there was look of shock and disbelief in her face, as if she just couldn't believe what I had just said. And that was how I knew that I had finally reached her.

It took a while for Mom to snap out of it, and when she did, she shook her head and sighed. "I need to talk with the family about this," she said. "We can't let you go because I know we can't trust you. I know that you could very well be lying about everything you just said. Everything I know about ghost screams that you ARE lying. But my kids want to give you a chance. So…we will see what happens. We will see." She turned away, looking frazzled, and walked up the stairs, turning off the light as she did so.

And that left me to lie back down on my stomach and wait for something to happen. I laid my head on my cuffed arms and smiled to myself as I closed my eyes. I was still scared, upset, annoyed, and everything else I had every right to feel right then. But somehow, a feeling of peace seemed to settle on me. It was like I knew it would be okay. Danny and Jazz would work out a way to rescue me, we'd figure out how to put me back with my human side, and everything would go back to normal. …Maybe.

And if somehow I would never escape, I still knew that at least I'd get protected. Mom would learn to accept me, and then I could tell her the truth. Even if it meant enduring a few experiments here and there. I mean, how bad could it get? I'd already lived through countless battles, random disasters in the Fenton labs, boomerangs hitting me in the head, and all other sorts of painful experiences. How could this be any worse?

"I know she wont hurt me," I whispered, completely unaware that my Mom was still in the room, listening to me. "She's more compassionate than she'd let on, even to a ghost she thinks is evil." I chuckled, and let myself drift into a strange ghostly sleep. "Besides…she's smart. It wont take long for her to see that all I ever wanted to do was help."

My mind didn't even register when my Mom left the room and went upstairs. I was already zoned out.

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Okay so...I hope I'm not making Danny and Phantom act out of character. I'm afraid I may have been doing that. So please let me know if you see something that needs to be fixed, or if something is not quite right, and all that. You guys are the best!

God bless you!

--rika195


	5. The Split: part 5

**Complicated Mess**

A Danny Phantom Story

Disclaimer on the first chapter

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Big thanks to these reviewers: **KARASU25, Yami-chan and Unrealistic, black peeches, gothangel12345, cordria, hikarisailorcat, ****FantomoDrako**, and **Tristar!**

You guys are so sweet, and I read everything you write seriously. Thank you for being honest and letting me know what you think, and how you point out things I need to notice. Where would I be without you guys? I am so happy that you are reviewing my story! This chapter is dedicated to you!

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Here's an honorable mention for my awesome proof-reader for this chapter: **FantomoDrako**!

You're the best! Thanks! You noticed a lot of stuff I failed to notice. So thanks for helping make this story better!

Anyone else interested in proof-reading chapter 6, let me know and that would be great. Thanks! You guys rock!

Ciao!

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The Split: Chapter 5 

Danny's POV:

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I'm not a quitter. I never have been and I wasn't about to become one. If there is something that I think is important, there is nothing that's going to stop me from getting it. It's what's kept me alive through all of my fights. Well…partly. The other part is having my friends and family support me. But all that aside, I do not give up if I want something. I guess it's that obsessive nature that my parents insist is prevalent in all ghosts. Heh. Whatever.

But this situation was no different. Yeah, I had slammed myself in my room and thrown myself on the floor in defeat, but I wasn't done yet. Mom won as far as authority goes, and yeah I have to listen to her cause she's my Mom, but the war was far from over. She won the first battle. I was quickly rounding up the cavalry.

When I was sure that my parents wouldn't notice, I got up, crept to the door, and cracked it open a bit. It was just my luck that Jazz was still carrying on an argument about the good nature of Danny Phantom. I couldn't help smirking. Jazz has always been able to convince Mom and Dad of almost anything, and I had no doubt she'd help me to win this battle too. Satisfied that they were distracted, I exited my room and tip-toed toward the stairs. I realized that it would be easier for me to do what I was doing if I had my ghost powers, but thanks to my stupid idea I didn't have them. They were embodied in a certain poor individual who was locked up downstairs.

"It's now or never," I thought, crouching down and beginning my descent down the stairs. I reached the bottom and peeked around the corner to see my family in the living room, still arguing. I could hear everything they were saying.

"That's where you're wrong, Mom!" Jazz yelled, doing her best to stay calm. From my hiding spot, I could see that she was afraid. Did that mean she was losing the argument? I shuddered at the thought. If that were true, then everything depended on me being able to sneak downstairs and complete my mission: freeing my ghost half and hiding him in the ghost zone for now.

Mom groaned in frustration and seated herself on the couch. "I've been studying ghosts for twice as long as you've been alive," she said tiredly. "I know what I know, and Phantom is no different than any other ghost."

"That's not true!" Jazz paced in a very un-Jazz-like manner, which led me to believe that the situation was more serious than I thought. I had to hurry! "I understand psychology Mom, and ghosts used to be people before they died. They may be 'manifestations of post-human consciousness bound in ecto-plasma' or something to that effect, but they also have thought patterns and emotions. They have drive, feelings, and motivation! I have been studying Phantom for a while now, and have had several occasions to understand his psychological behavior."

"Since when is this?" Mom demanded. Her eyes widened, and I couldn't help grinning to myself. If only she knew. "You have been spending TIME with this Danny Phantom?"

"Yes," Jazz hissed, "I have. He's rescued me on several occasions, as well as several hundreds of other people. His drive is to protect this city, and his motivation is compassion and responsibility. He feels just as you and I feel, and I agree with Danny that if you hurt him, you will have to hurt me too. No….you WILL be hurting me! You'll be hurting both Danny and me, and I can't allow you to anything to him."

"Jasmine, don't you talk to me like that!" Mom exclaimed, quickly growing angry. She stood up from the couch and glared at my sister, her eyes flashing. "I am your Mother, and you will not speak to me like this!"

"You're right. You are my Mother, and I respect that." Jazz closed her eyes, barely managing to control her anger. She was much better at it than I was. "But you don't understand how much this means to Danny and I." Her eyes snapped open, as if she suddenly remembered something she could use in her argument. "Danny has been under a lot of stress lately, and you know this. But Phantom has been an inspiration to him. If he loses that, just think what that could do to his emotional health?"

I hated to admit it, but she was right. I think I would seriously go into trauma if my Mom and Dad decided to destroy my ghost half. It would not only prove that not telling them was a good idea, but it would leave me vulnerable to any ghost who wanted to attack me or Amity Park. And who would be able to protect them? Yeah. That's right. No one. I shuddered, and crept another step toward the basement to where my other half waited.

Mom and Dad were silent, staring at Jazz as if she was out of her mind. But the tension in the room had started to change. "Please Mom and Dad," Jazz said earnestly. "It's up to you what you do, but please just promise me and Danny one thing. Promise me you wont hurt Phantom."

I held my breath, frozen in between my next step toward the basement, waiting for my parents response. I knew that my chance to free Phantom was now, and that if I didn't take it, I might lose my chance. But the desire to hear if they promised held me back. I had to know. Would they accept him? Would they promise not to hurt him? Or would they tell Jazz that they had already made the final decision? My lungs ached, and I remembered that I was holding my breath, but I couldn't bring myself to let it go. I was afraid it would ruin this crucial moment.

"If that's the way it's going to be," my Dad said in his ever-commanding, almost carefree voice, "then that's the way it's going to be. Madds?"

Wait….did my Dad just…?

"Alright," Mom sighed, shaking her head. She placed a hand to her head, and I caught a glimpse of her eyes being red. She looked so confused. "Jack and I promise that we wont hurt him."

"That's right!" Dad patted my sister on the shoulder, not even noticing her flabbergasted expression. "We may want to take it apart, but if the ghost means that much to you, it's the least we can do. Right?"

"Yes…" Mom replied. Her voice became serious again. "But that doesn't mean we wont do tests or experiments on it. We have research to do, and even if we wont hurt it, we're still going to do them. Do you understand?"

"Yes…." Jazz forced out. Her eyes were still wide, but she quickly smiled in relief and hugged our parents. "Thank you…this means so much to me…and to Danny."

"Yes well…" Mom patted Jazz on the head, then pulled away. "I better go talk to the ghost-boy, and tell him what I said. His reaction may help me decide if he's just been tricking or overshadowing you."

"He hasn't," Jazz said. But she let Mom go and turned to Dad. "Thanks Dad," she said.

"No problem Jazzypants! I'm sure you'll change your mind once you find out the truth." He smiled broadly, then went into the kitchen. I already knew he was getting some fudge.

Jazz rolled her eyes, and chose that moment to walk in my direction. She stopped when she found me, and raised her eyebrows in alarm. "Are you holding your breath?" she exclaimed.

I let my breath go, gasping as my lungs finally received a new supply of oxygen. I smiled weakly at her. "Oh yeah," I replied stupidly. "I guess I was."

"You'd better get back to your room before Mom finds you out," Jazz whispered. She hugged me, ignoring my annoyed expression, and then walked me to the door. "But….how much did you overhear?"

"Just the end, I think. Hey good job on the psychology stuff." I grinned despite myself. "Some of it was actually true. And the promise not to hurt my ghost half was a good idea too." It would give us time to rescue him and figure out how to put us back together again, I added mentally.

"Yeah." Jazz rolled her eyes, then gave me an exasperated look. "What were you thinking, huh? Were you trying to blow your secret?"

"I know, I know…I don't need you to remind me," I growled. My cheeks turned red despite myself, and I knew that Jazz could easily see how embarrassingly stupid I felt. She seemed to enjoy rubbing it in though. For a moment I didn't know what to say to her, or how to tell her I was just being stupid, but I never got the chance to answer. Mom started walking up the stairs.

"Quick!" Jazz whispered. "Get in your room!"

I nodded, dashed in, then closed the door. Mom had ordered me to stay put until she said I could come out, and if she knew that I had disobeyed her, I'd be in big trouble. That meant I had to pretend like I'd been in there the whole time. Rolling my eyes at the irony of having to keep lying about everything, I laid down on my stomach on the floor of my room and buried my face in my arms like last time. It was at that moment that my door opened, and someone walked in and knelt next to me. Talk about perfect timing, and with no ghost powers at that! I couldn't help being a little proud of myself.

I already knew it was Mom by the way she walked, but I didn't want to be the one to start the conversation. I wanted to make her be the one to speak, to tell me what she had promised. Even to tell me about what she and Phantom had spoken of. So I just waited. Her slender hand rested on my shoulder, and I shivered at her warm touch. The sensation was so weird, that it took me completely by surprise. My mind lost focus of what I was actually doing there on the floor, and all I could think about was how warm my Mom's hand was. It was then that I realized….I was cold.

I couldn't remember being this cold for a long time. Usually I have ghost powers, so I don't notice how cold it is. Cold is second nature to me. Heck, I had ice powers for heaven's sake! My core body temperature had dropped about two or three degrees, and I hardly even realized when it was cold out. But right then, I realized that I was _freezing_. My shivering got worse as my confused mind tried to figure out why. Why? Why was I so cold? It's not like it was any colder in my room than usual. So….? I gave up trying to think.

"Danny…." My Mom's voice had a puzzled and sad sound to it, though it was gentler than it was before. She sounded concerned. She reached down and pulled me up to my feet, wrapping her arms around me in a warm hug. "You're freezing," she scolded. "Here…" she pulled me to my bed, and sat me down on it, then draped one of my blankets around my shoulders. It felt nice to have her arms wrapped around me and my blanket, and I suddenly remember how little time I actually spend with my Mom. I couldn't help feeling slightly saddened. "I want to talk to the family downstairs," she said, her voice still soft.

"What about?" I asked darkly. I was surprised at myself for being so harsh, but didn't actually feel very bad about snapping at her. But I bit my lip and held it in. My Mom didn't really deserve it, no matter how little she knew about me and Phantom.

Mom did not react to my tone, and I was kind of glad about it. Instead she began to play with my hair. THAT was annoying, but I let her do it anyway for now. "It's about Phantom," she said slowly. "I know that he means a lot to you and Jazz, and after talking to him, I truly believe he cares about protecting our city, and our family. I don't understand why he cares so much, but ghosts are made up of emotions. Perhaps his emotions are all about love for others. So…I am willing to admit that maybe I was wrong about him. I mean, there's a lot of stuff he's done to make him Public Enemy #1, but the things he does to protect the city outweigh them. And there's something different about him than any other ghost."

I felt a small smile spread across my face as I looked at her, and a chuckle escaped my lips. "It's true," I said forcefully. "I would know. People are just prejudiced against him, and give him more trouble than he deserves." I rolled my eyes. Boy was that ever true. "And thank you Mom, for giving him a chance. He's like…like…" I paused, thinking about him. Phantom is a part of me. He's everything I've ever wanted to be. Protective, responsible, fun…and I know that he is what I am, because he's just a reflection of me. We are one and the same. But now that we've been separated, I can't help thinking of him like a separate person…like a best friend, or a brother. My smile widened at the thought. "He's like a brother," I finally finished. "Like the brother I never had. He depends on me….and I on him. It's kind of…weird. I guess." I shrugged, not sure what else to say. To say anything else would be to admit that he's me. But…that would be way too complicated to explain. Perhaps this is better for now.

Mom sighed, pulling me closer in a hug. I looked up to realize that she had tears in her eyes, something I didn't expect to see. "You're such a Fenton," she sighed, continuing to stroke my hair. I always felt weird and annoyed when she did this, but somehow, I didn't mind right then. "Always caring about people, being cheerful, trying your best…even your interest in ghosts. I guess I should have seen it before. But sometimes our obsessions can blind us."

"I know," I said softly. "I was never mad at you. And I'm sorry for yelling at you. I just…I just can't picture life without him now. I don't want to lose him."

"I know…." Mom sighed. "It's something I don't understand entirely, but I know. Jazz is right. I think that your friendship with him _is_ doing good. Perhaps it's because of you that he's not an evil ghost."

"Not just me," I said firmly. "You too. And Dad, and Jazz, and Tucker and Sam…this whole city. It means so much to him. He's given up so much just to be there. And I would know. Even if the entire city hated him, he'd still protect it. He just feels like if he wasn't there to do it, then everything he cared for would be lost. And yet everyone hates him for it." I chuckled inwardly. I enjoyed finally being able to defending myself. I just felt kind of funny doing it, now that I'd separated that part of me into another person. But finally talking like this to my Mom made me realize how much I wanted to tell her…to be able to explain to her the truth…and to see her accept it because she could believe in something like that. I unconsciously pulled closer into her embrace.

"Danny…I want you to know that I love you. And I want the best for you. Always."

"I know Mom. That's why you sent me to my room, huh?" I grinned at her.

"Mmm Hmm." Mom kept stroking my hair, probably not even aware of the unusual calming affect it had on me. Usually it just made me squirm. "But the other reason is that I am your Mother, and you do have to listen to me and respect me."

"I know," I sighed. "And I probably shouldn't have yelled at you." No matter how much I really wanted to, I added mentally.

"I forgive you, sweetie. I always will." She stood up, and placed a kiss on my forehead, pulling back to smile at me. "Now…let's go downstairs and talk. I have talked with Phantom, and he's agreed to my verdict. I just have to talk it over with the rest of you."

I hopped off my bed, offering her a smile that could only be described as victorious. After all, I just felt like I'd won a great battle. "I'm sure I'll agree," I said without a doubt. After all, Phantom is basically me. Or my twin or something. So if he agreed to it, I would.

Mom smiled, and ruffled my hair. "Good. Now let's go." She took my hand and we both walked toward the door. "And by the way…good job on cleaning your room. It looks nice in here."

"Thanks!" I grinned happily. "Phantom helped."

We walked down the stairs, my mood lifted incredibly.

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting on the couch next to Jazz, watching my parents argue about the details of Mom's verdict, even though there wasn't even anything they could really argue about. My sister and I kept exchanging glances, then looking back at them, then looking at each other again. Basically, Mom decided that aside from the experiments she and Dad would run, Phantom would have to stay here in the house—not really a big problem since ironically, he does anyway—but that Jazz and I couldn't interfere. Dad complained that Phantom was probably fine, and that it might be alright for him to leave the house to fight ghosts and protect the city, as he claimed was his responsibility. But Dad's opinion was based solely on the assurance from Jazz and I that Phantom would not just leave and never come back. "Phantom is just as trustworthy as Danny is," Jazz had said. I couldn't help grinning at that.

But they were still arguing, and Jazz and I had long since dropped out to let it take its course. I couldn't help being surprised at Phantom. Mom had said that he had willingly agreed to being tested on. I was horrified that he would even think about it. Submitting himself for testing? Was he really that crazy? Or desperate? Did he think I wasn't trying to rescue him or something? I scowled at the thought. I wouldn't have submitted myself! NOT ON MY LIFE! So why was he? The question puzzled me. Was he really that much different from me? Are we really becoming two different people now? I was so confused.

"Danny," Jazz whispered. I leaned closer. "I thought you couldn't hold a duplicate of yourself for this long. What's happening?" Her face was worried, and her eyes checked me for any signs of exhaustion.

I blinked in confusion, then grinned nervously when the realization dawned on me. She thought I had only duplicated myself! I sucked in a breath of air, realizing that I would have to tell her about my stupid whim that had got us into this mess. And I didn't look forward to it. "Well actually….I didn't duplicate," I told her in a whisper. "See, Dad fixed the Ghost Catcher to separate a ghost from his powers, and I was bored…and I wanted help cleaning my room…so I decided to test it. He said it's reversible…so…I mean…"

"You didn't!" Jazz gasped. "You really did make you and Phantom into two different people! Danny, don't you realize that Phantom could become a totally different person the longer he stays separated from you?" She looked shocked. "What if it's too late to get back together?"

"It's not," I whispered back. But the doubt was in my mind. What if we couldn't merge back? What if we did totally become separate people? Could I handle that? I stared at nothing in particular for a long time. I knew I'd hate not being able to turn ghost. But…I could handle it if I had to. I simply smiled and shrugged.

"Very well then, it's settled."

Jazz and I both looked up when Mom spoke, almost afraid to hear what our parents had decided. We looked at them fearfully, waiting for them to continue, wondering if they'd decided to just rip him apart and forget everything else. I knew that's what they wanted to do.

Mom smiled, but it didn't completely meet her eyes. She just looked confused, like she had just done something she couldn't understand. "Jack and I will do our tests on Phantom," she told us firmly, "but we will not hurt him. He will—sigh—be allowed to fight ghosts, and he'll stay in Danny's room." She looked bewildered, as if she couldn't believe she let Jack talk her into that one. "But other than ghosts fights, he cannot leave. And he has to do every test that we tell him to do. Also, you kids cannot interfere, or try to change our minds anymore. This is a final deal. Do you agree?"

I let out a sigh of relief, realizing that this was probably much better than I'd originally thought it was going to be, and bit my lip in hesitation. Phantom really agreed to this? My other half agreed to this? Well…if he did, then I guess I do. I nodded. "I agree."

Jazz stared at me with wide eyes, then turned back to our parents. "Me too."

Mom nodded, satisfied, and then rubbed her forehead in defeat. "Well then, it's settled. Let's go downstairs to the lab."

I jumped to my feet, surprised at my own agility. And here I thought that it all came from my ghost side. Perhaps I really am getting more athletic as my normal self too! That thought put a grin on my face, and I was the first one down the stairs. Behind me, Mom flicked on the lights, and I could feel her smile in bewilderment when I skidded to a stop outside Phantom's cage and began to bang on it. I could hardly believe that he was sleeping. "Hey ghost-boy," I called out, grinning. I enjoyed the fact that I could stick my hand into the cage without being repelled. It felt nice. "Sleeping on me, are you?"

Phantom lifted his head slowly, his green eyes snapping open. He looked up at me and grinned…as if he'd just seen the best thing in the entire world. I felt strangely….happy. "Well it would help if you weren't so boring," he retorted.

I chuckled. That's what I would have said. I unlocked the cage, relieved when no one stopped me, and pulled him out. Before he even had time to blink, I had him locked in a crushing hug worthy of my Father. I couldn't help enjoying his slightly winded and surprised expression, before it melted into a grin. His hands were still cuffed, so he couldn't exactly hug me back, but I kept hugging him anyway. When I finally pulled back, I turned around to grin up at my parents. "Thanks," I said. "You don't know how much this means to me…that you accept him."

Beside me, I felt Phantom smile. He placed one of his hands on my shoulder. _**I'm not afraid of being tested on, Danny. **_I heard his voice in my head, and turned to him in surprise, my mouth dropping open in shock. Did he just…speak directly to my mind? I was so shocked I didn't even know how to respond. He only kept grinning. I guess we _are_ still connected after all! That at least was comforting, but it still didn't prepare me for getting used to it when his mind spoke to me again. _**Remember how much it means to Mom and Dad? **_

_Yeah, _I thought back, struggling to keep a stoic face. This was so weird. _Boy do I remember. Still…what are we going to do when we…you know…become the same person again? I don't want to stay separated forever. _

_**To be honest, neither do I. I mean…we're the same person. Just…I dunno. While we're separated, I can't help thinking of you like a brother right now. **_

_Or a twin? _

We both grinned, and turned back to my parents. "So…." We were completely unaware that we were speaking at the exact same time. "Can you take the handcuffs off now?"

My parents continued to stare at us, and so did Jazz. And I didn't think I'd ever see such looks of conflicting, confusing emotions on the same faces ever again. They were…to put it simply, baffled. It's like they didn't even expect the actions from me and Phantom. We both grinned the same grin at the same time. Phantom cleared his throat. "Or maybe you'd rather wait and do something else?" he prompted.

They just kept staring. "Guys?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

Mom raised a shaking hand, and pointed it at the two of us. "You…" she could barely speak. "You act like…..twins!"

We glanced at each other, and then shrugged. "Interesting," I said. Might as well let her think that. Maybe I can tell her the truth….after she learns to trust my ghost half a little bit more.

My Mom got over her shock, and walked down the stairs. Jazz and Dad followed. "Well…I don't know any other ghosts like you, Phantom. And I confess I'm not sure what to think of you. But for now, I think I can trust you...a little."

"And I'm looking forward to learning more about ghosts!" Dad exclaimed. He patted both of us soundly on the shoulders, and we both winced momentarily. It was a hard pat. "I always knew you were a smart boy, Danny! And now it finally pays off. Your friendship with this ghost can help us in a lot of ways!"

We both offered smiles, though we weren't sure whether he had given us a compliment or if that just meant he thought I was using him. It was kind of weird.

It was Jazz's turn to come up to us. She walked forward, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "Danny, I don't know what to say," she said. Despite that last comment, it appeared she had plenty. "I've never seen you like this before. It's clear to see that your mental health right now is better than it's ever been. And it makes me wonder about you a lot. Perhaps having someone like a brother figure is good for you."

I grinned and looked at my ghost self, who grinned back at me. He winked, and I blinked. I didn't even think about winking. It was weird how we could be exactly the same at times, and yet be so different. I didn't know what to think.

But time passed, and everyone began talking. My parents once again became obsessively excited, talking about all the things they could learn from their tests. Already they were reworking some of their inventions so that they'd be less painful, and still be able to perform the same function, though they kept on claiming that ghosts couldn't feel anyway. Which is ridiculous, I would know. Jazz kept talking about psychological stuff between myself and Phantom, and how she wondered if we truly were different from each other. What if we were stuck like this forever? How did we both feel? How different are ghosts from humans? And many other thoughts as well. Phantom and I just kept glancing at each other, as if hiding our own secrets from everyone else. Yeah whatever. Who cared whether we were separate or the same? If we were separate, we were brothers and friends. If we were the same, then I felt complete. There wasn't anything else to say about it.

I don't think I was even aware when the night ended. All I remember is finding myself in my room next to phantom, who was still handcuffed, and finding a blow-up mattress on the ground and an extra blanket on top of it. I just stood there and blinked. Did it really happen that fast?

"Danny? You okay?"

I turned to stare at Phantom, raising an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, why?"

He grinned impishly at me, then shrugged. "Oh I dunno. You just kind of lost it there for a while. It's like you zoned out. I don't think you even remember how you got into the room!"

I had to grin back. "No, I don't," I admitted. "What happened?"

"Nothing really. Everyone's going to bed…we had an argument whether I should stay cuffed or not, one that I wisely stayed out of, and then everyone went off. Jazz and I had to march you up here cause you seemed kind of lost in your thoughts. She was kind of worried about you, but I convinced her you were fine. I used the 'he's me and I would know' logic. Heh. It seemed to work."

"But isn't it true?" I asked.

"Yeah!" He grinned again. "But you have to admit….I kind of feel like a different person from you, and I know you feel the same. At least somewhat. It's weird."

"Yeah." I sat on my bed, and shivered slightly. I hadn't realized how cold Phantom was. "You're cold," I told him. "You're giving me the shivers!"

"Heh. I guess you're not used to being warm," he answered. He sat down on the inflatable mattress, and then got under the covers. "And I'm finding it annoying to have to sleep in handcuffs. But that's okay. If that's what it takes, then I can live through it."

"Technically…you're dead," I snickered.

"What does that make you?" he retorted.

I opened my mouth, then sighed in defeat. "Don't ask that question, okay? It's too confusing. Right now, I'm alive and you're dead, so let's leave it at that." I too crawled in bed and got under the covers. Before I could even remember that the light was still on, Phantom got up and turned it off. Then he crawled back into bed. "Good night," I whispered, finding it strange to say that while in my own room.

"Good night," Phantom chuckled. "No matter how weird it feels to say that."

Smiling, I let myself fall asleep. This was a weird day…a day that started with boredom, changed to terror, and ended with relief. All I could think about as I fell asleep was that my family had finally accepted that Phantom was good…they had finally accepted me.

_**Almost…**_a voice in my head corrected me.

_Alright, almost, _my mind answered back with a yawn. _But close enough. _

I think that Phantom and I fell asleep at the exact same moment.

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Yep, angst is over, and the humor begins soon. What do you think? I hope you have a great weekend. Pray for me cause I'm struggling with finals.

Reviews would be great. Please please please review? I KNOW I have like 300-something hits to this story, but I hardly have 300 reviews. Sheesh, what does it take? It's so easy! What is keeping you from reviewing anyway? What? LAZINESS! che. You're ridiculous if you read a story and then don't review.

So push that button and let me know the truth. What did you think? How can I improve? I depend on you guys to help me out!

Thanks!

rika195 / a.k.a. Toni / a.k.a. Dork


	6. Changing: part 1

**Complicated Mess**

A Danny Phantom Story

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It's just a story about Danny Fenton's life, if he separated himself from his ghost powers. It's just for fun. Hope you enjoy it! It's set in a time frame where Phantom Planet never happened, and is kind of an AU story. Which means it isn't real, and probably doesn't ever happen. I just felt like writing it.

I don't own Danny Phantom, and I never will. Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman and Nickalodean. Or however you spell it.

-

Thank you so much to my reviewers, who have been so supportive, even though I didn't know hardly anything about the show when I started writing this story about a year ago. You give me the courage to keep writing. So here it is, just for you! Special thanks to **gothangel12345, isadorathegreat, FantomoDrako, black peeches, -kyuubi11-, cordria, angel-phantom-babii,** and **DPcrazy!**

And special thanks for proof reading, **FantomoDrako**!

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Changing: Chapter One

Phantom's POV:

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I stared up at the strange machine, gritting my teeth together in an attempt to stay calm. It had been three months since Danny decided to separate himself from his ghost powers—me—to have someone help him clean his room. Since then, I've come to a pact with his Mom and Dad so that they don't kill me and that I can continue fighting ghosts. And the weirdest part of all….It's beginning to make me feel more and more disconnected from Danny.

We're kind of the same person, so it's really hard to know how to think of ourselves. He's Danny Fenton, and I'm Danny Phantom. But we've been separated for a long time, and every attempt to try and get back together fails. He's freaked out, and he misses his ghost powers. I'm freaked out, and I miss being normal. I miss LIFE! And FRIENDS! And all the other stuff that Danny still gets to enjoy. It really stinks cause we're supposed to be the same thing, only now we're split up. I don't even know what to think anymore! Sometimes we'll amuse ourselves by arguing which one of us is the "real" Danny Phantom, to the point where we drive Jazz insane. It's kind of funny. I guess the best way to really describe how it feels would be if somehow, instead of there just being one Danny Phantom, there are two. We're both Danny. We're independent. And yet we're connected with a mental link that sometimes scares us both. It's the only thing we've got to remind us that we're still the same person, even if we are two of the same person. Weird? Yeah. I know.

So here's my typical day. Danny and I wake up, usually around exactly the same time, and get ready for our day. Okay, truth be told, he's the one who runs around and gets ready, while I sit on the bed and make jokes about how slow he is and how scrawny he looks, and other sorts of stuff. I don't pick on him too hard cause it hurts me just as much as it hurts him. We both miss what the other's got.

Next we go down for breakfast. Danny barely gets time to eat before he's almost late for school, and dashes out the door. I can usually tell if he's going to be really late, and since he can't fly, it's up to me to get him there. Proclaiming to my parents that I'll be back in a jiffy, I'll dash out and pick him up, then drop him off at school. Then I head back to be just in time for a full day of testing and ghost fighting. It's a day full of sighs and gritting my teeth. Why can't I just be Danny like I used to? I sure feel like I'm missing out on everything in life. Oh wait. I'm dead. How does that work anyway?

Okay so back to the experiments. I probably never should have submitted myself, but I was under the impression that they wouldn't hurt. And they don't, for the most part. Mom and Dad are not actually trying to hurt me. But sometimes….I end up getting a little shocked, or something goes wrong, and I'm out for the count, or something else strange will happen. And I've got some stories I'm not willing to tell cause the memories are painful. And that's not all either. They're also bent on testing their new ghost hunting equipment on me, just to make sure that it works. They assure me that they'll be careful…and they are…but this is my mom and dad we're talking about here. They're a bit clumsy and overly-energetic when it comes to ghost hunting and testing their new equipment. Or...rather, Dad is. Mom is much more professional. But anyway, even though they've both warmed up to me considerably, and even accepted me as part of the household now, I'm still just a lab rat. It's a depressing thought that wont leave me alone.

I have discovered, however, that there are some advantages to being split. Recently, Danny and I realized that we both have our ghost sense. Sure, I have all the ghost powers, but our minds are still connected. I can sense if there is a ghost around him, and he can sense it too. So even though he can't 'go ghost', he can still do something about it. Not only can he warn Sam and Tucker and grab a thermos or something, he can inform me if there is a ghost somewhere that I can't sense. It's kind of handy. So things aren't all bad.

There's only one problem, which has been bothering me for some time. There have been so few ghost attacks lately. That could be a good thing or a bad thing. If it's a good thing, it's because Dad's Ghost Catcher seems to be working. Any ghosts who come through the Ghost Portal are stripped of their power and become either powerless or helpless, and much more likely to get captured by my eager parents. If I catch them first, I always toss them through the Ghost Catcher's other side and back into the Ghost Zone so that they get their powers back, and usually it works. I guess I just feel bad throwing them into the Ghost Zone unprotected. And no, I don't think I'm too soft. Heck, Walker's out there still! And I'm not trying to make more enemies than I can handle.

If the lack of ghost attacks is a bad thing, then it means that someone is planning a huge attack on the town, or some other kind of terrible disaster. Most likely, it'll be for me. I just hope it isn't Vlad, although it's just my luck that it usually is. He never gives up. And if it isn't, it means that the ghosts have found some other town to pick on. That's a scary thought I hope I never have to entertain.

Anyway...

Today was just another day. I'd been sitting around waiting for Dad to stop tinkering with his new toy, and for Mom to figure out what she wanted to do with me. I was lying on the couch in front of the TV, too bored to even turn it on. I wanted to be in school. I wanted to be flying around. I wanted to be free! But where would I go? A smile flickered on my lips. To Danny, of course. I wouldn't want to go anywhere else. I knew he, Sam and Tucker would visit me after school, but I still wanted to see him sooner. I wanted to play a prank on him…tickle him maybe. I dunno. I'm fun to pick on. Ha! It sounds strange when I say it, but it's true. I'm very fun to pick on. I was happily imagining all the ways I could torment my other half, when at that moment, Mom decided to remember I was there.

"Oh Phantom…we have a test we'd like to run!" her voice was cheerful, yet edged like a knife. She always spoke to me that way, simply because she wanted to me know that she would personally rip me apart if I tried to leave without permission, or without vowing to return. Personally, it scares me. If she weren't so kind-hearted towards Danny and Jazz's request, she'd probably hurt me on purpose. I'm just a ghost to her, deluding myself that I have emotions that aren't there.

I sighed and closed my eyes, figuring I might as well get it over with. It would probably just be another simple test to check what kinds of things they could do to weaken ghosts, or something like that. I turned intangible and sank through the couch, floor, and everything else, and landed in front of them on the basement floor. They were both waiting for me with eager smiles. "Well?" I asked, my green eyes pleading for it to be quick this time.

"We have a new test," Mom exclaimed. "It's designed to help us understand more about how ghosts are made up, and how they restore their energy. It will definitely help us in our studies." She smiled at me, and ruffled my white hair.

I had long since figured out that she liked to do that to me, and unlike the other Danny, I couldn't help loving it. It made me feel like she accepted me…loved me even. Danny cringes and makes a face, pretending to be disgusted. I can't help offering a shy smile. I admit, I like it when she plays with my messy mop of white hair. The disturbing part is that it's just another thing to show how different Danny and I are becoming.

Mom continued talking, smiling at Dad with the enthusiastic look that could only be worn when talking about something ghost-related. "Ever since these tests, we've become quite the expert on ghosts! Our knowledge is being used all over the world, and I'm even getting a book published." She fixed her goggles over her eyes dreamily.

I simply nodded half-heartedly. I'd heard that speech several times the last month, and had come to expect it. Of course, I knew that I was helping them out a lot. But I was afraid that sooner or later they'd discover where I came from; that they'd discover that Danny and I are one and the same…kind of.

"It will help us catch ghosts when they don't expect it," Dad exclaimed proudly. "That way we can catch more and take them apart! Molecule by molecule!"

I cringed noticeably.

"We promised not to hurt you, remember?" Mom took my hand and led me to a flat metal table that would be inserted into a device that looked like an MRI machine or something. But it wasn't that big. "And we wont back out on that promise. But there are a lot of tests we want to run that we can't do by keeping you alive. So that means we'll have to catch others." She watched my face, noticing that I still felt bad for whatever ghost would be dissected. She ruffled my hair again. "You know, sometimes I am amazed at how much compassion you have," she told me. "It's so human."

"I'm more human than you take me for," I replied slowly. I got onto the table and laid down, not even bothering to watch as they strapped me in. Of course, the straps were ghost proof so I couldn't escape. Honestly, didn't they realize by now that I didn't even think about it? Okay so maybe I thought about escaping quite a bit. But I'd always come back! I sighed again, a funny smile filing my face. Why did I sigh? It wasn't like I had lungs or anything. The thought amused me, and gave me something to ponder while the machine started up.

My thoughts were rudely interrupted when the machine decided to blast me with a high concentration of energy. My eyes widened and the sharp blow of pain, and I struggled against my bonds with a yell.

"Just a little longer," Mom called through the machine. Her voice was worried. "It's not supposed to hurt this much…but we need this concentration of electricity for the experiment to work! Don't worry…."

I drowned out her voice, trying to hold in my cries of shock and pain. Truth be told, it didn't hurt _that_ bad. But lately I'd been going soft. It had been so long since I actually took any painful blows from another ghost. So I gritted my teeth and stared up at the roof of the machine, waiting for the test to be over. I could do this. I'd done way worse than this. This was nothing. Just a little energy is all.

It seemed to work. The pain died out, leaving only a buzzing feeling in my nerves. Do I even have nerves? What a weird question. I am so used to being human, I forget that I'm not. I forget that now I'm not Danny anymore. I'm Phantom. Man, this was hard to get used to.

Soon it was over, and they pulled me out. Both of them peered down at me, Mom looking a little worried, while Dad looked excited that it had worked. I was still shaking, gritting my teeth, and trying not to twitch as the electrical currents still ran through me.

"You alright?" Mom asked.

I tried to smile, trying my best not to make it a grimace. I didn't think I succeeded. I nodded once.

"It worked!" Dad exclaimed. "The test was a success!"

"Why don't you go take a rest," Mom patted my head. Her hand was warm, and just feeling her touch me like she cared made my twitching stop. I let out a sigh from my nonexistent lungs. "We'll just finish up down here and call you when we need you again."

I nodded, and waited for them to unfasten me. They were quick to let me out, and even helped me up when I didn't move at first. When my feet reached the ground, I wobbled slightly, and wondered if the effect of the test had drained my ghost energy. Most likely it did. I shrugged. "I'll be on the couch," I said slowly. "Just call if you need me." Then I turned and walked up the stairs. I could feel their eyes on me until I was out of sight, and wondered what they were thinking. Who knew? I collapsed on the couch and closed my eyes, drifting into my ghostly zoned-out stage I like to call sleep. The only thing I cared about was that with every test, they seemed to care about me a little bit more. And that was all I could ask for now.

Ah, typical day.

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Ya it's short, but what can I say? I wrote it a while ago.

Please let me know what you think! I am sure I've made a million mistakes that will bug all of you. lol. I only hope it'll get better as I go. Thanks for your time!

You've read it, now review it! I'm relying on you!

--Dork195

(lol)


	7. Changing: part 2

**Complicated Mess**

A Danny Phantom Story

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What if Danny separated himself from his ghost powers? That's what this story is about. Which is pretty much a DUH if you've been reading this far. lol. It probably NEVER happens, and it's just for fun, so don't expect it to be perfect. I already know it's full of flaws. However, I hope you enjoy it!

I don't own Danny Phantom, and I never will. Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman and Nickalodean. Or however you spell it.

-

Thank you so much to my reviewers, who have been so supportive, even though I didn't know hardly anything about the show when I started writing this story about 2 years ago. You give me the courage to keep writing. So here it is, just for you! Special thanks to **Silver Shadowbreeze**, **Thunderstorm101**, **ShadowLord9**, **Nikky Phantom of the Opera,** **DPcrazy**, **Jedi'Pirate Jaeh**, -**kyuubi11**-, and **hikarisailorcat**! Your reviews were so much help, and meant so much to me!

And a side thanks to **Oats-FFCC27** for starting to read my story! I hope you like it well enough to review!

Also, thanks to people who have read this story, but not yet reviewed. Please review? I need help, obviously. This story is hardly good enough! lol.

Thanks again, and sorry this took so long to come!

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Changing: Part Two

Danny's POV:

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I stared at the clock, gritting my teeth together, every single muscle in my body as tense as it could get. In under a minute, the torturously long day would be over, and I could finally go home. And to top it all off, Sam and Tucker were going to come over as well.

I admit that I was getting increasingly annoyed with not having my ghost powers, and having to wait for Phantom to get here to save the day was almost like a slap in the face at times. But I was also growing more and more concerned about him. I mean, he's my other half…he's me. But it still feels like he's my brother or something that's being kept under lock and key to be tested on like a lab rat. And I have to question myself…why did I ever go through the Ghost Catcher to begin with? It had only caused me…and him…problems.

The bell rang, and Mr. Lancer decided to give us a break. I barely listened as he informed the class to remember to do our homework and to get our parents to sign the permission slip for the field trip, and that a Mr. Fenton was requested to stay after class a minute or two…wait. Mr. Fenton? I groaned in frustration and skidded to a stop half-way out the door. Grudgingly I cam back and stood in front of his desk. That was me.

"Mr. Fenton, I'd like to talk to you about your grades," my bald, pot-bellied, annoying, yet reliable teacher Mr. Lancer told me in his usual monotone.

My grades. I cringed at the sound, and waited for the death blow. I had barely passed last year thanks to all the ghost fights I had to do, but now that I was separated from them, I had more time to actually do the homework. I liked ghost-hunting better. But why would he want to talk to me about my grades? Was I still failing?

"I wanted to tell you that I am pleased with how you are pulling yourself together, and doing better on your homework," Mr. Lancer told me calmly. "You have almost as much potential as your sister, and I'd hate to see you lose it. I am glad you've decided to try harder."

"Yes, sir," I sighed, glancing out the door. Sam and Tucker gave me knowing grins. "I am trying. Last year was rough…all the ghosts as stuff. My family being ghost hunters and all…" I trailed off, leaving him to make his own deductions.

"So you've told me, and I have come to see that you are telling the truth. I'm proud of you." He stood up and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Keep it up, Mr. Fenton. School is important."

I nodded, excused myself, and hurried out to join my two best friends. As soon as we were at our lockers, our regular conversation broke out. "You guys still coming over?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Duh!" Sam rolled her eyes. "So how's your parent's lab rat doing?"

I scowled at her darkly, annoyed that she only found my scowl amusing.

"Aw come on, Danny! I'm kidding." She sighed. "How are we going to put you two together again? This can't be good for either of you. And we can't put you together until your parents let you…or…him go!"

"I know, I know," I sighed, opening my licker and stuffing everything I wouldn't need inside. I slammed it shut and turned to my friends. Sam stood with her arms crossed, probably thinking about how hard it was for me to be separated like this. Tucker was messing around with his PDA. As usual. "But what can I do? There's that agreement I made! Until Phantom convinces my parents to let him go, I'm two different people!"

"You know, that sounds really weird," Tucker chuckled, never taking his eyes off his PDA. "Maybe you should keep your voice down."

I sighed, then turned and leaned my head against my closed locker. I was so sick of everything being like this. I just wanted things to go back to normal. And it looked like the only way that would happen would be if I told my parents the truth, and they accepted it. But…I seriously doubt they'd believe it. They're so sure it's impossible.

I would have heard Dash coming if I had been paying attention, but when his hand grabbed my shoulder and spun me around, I was taken by surprise. I barely had time to notice that Kwan and the other Jocks were holding Sam and Tucker's arms. Perfect. I'd be stuck in a locker again, with no ghost powers to help me out. What fun.

"Do you know what grade I got on my paper, Fentonia?" Dash snapped at me, his eyes glaring at me in anger. I already knew the answer, so I didn't say anything. "I got an F, Dork-face. And I'm not happy about it!"

Normally I made some kind of snide remark, but today I just didn't feel like it. I felt like punching him in the jaw. But…I couldn't. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So I stared at him instead, my face calm and bored, a patient expression in my eyes. I just waited for him to get it done with.

He hated it with a passion. "Don't look at me like that, Fenturd! I'm going to take my frustrations out on you!" He pulled back his fist way into Arkansas and slammed me in the solar plexus. I was efficiently winded. Oh what I wouldn't give to have my ghost powers back. I gritted my teeth and waited for him to stop punching me and insulting me, and shoving me against the lockers. By the time he was done venting, his buddies had found a conveniently open locker to shove me in, and he slammed the door shut. I was crunched up, upside down, trying my best to be able to breathe. I was not in the least comfortable. "See if you like that, Fendork!" Dash called. He and his buddies laughed and then walked away, calling insults to Sam and Tucker as they left.

Then it was just the three of us.

"I'm sorry Danny….we don't know the combination for this locker," Sam sighed from the outside. "You okay in there?"

"I'm fine and dandy," I complained. "And I can barely breathe. Are you sure you can't get me out?"

"Not right now," Tucker explained, sounding a little upset. "It sure stinks not to have your ghost powers, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes. But being upside down made me dizzy from doing that. Note to self: don't roll your eyes when you're crammed upside-down in a half-sized locker four feet off the ground. "Just call for help or something, okay?"

"You know, you'd get crammed in lockers less if you weren't so tiny," Sam teased.

I didn't think that was very funny. "I'm NOT tiny, okay?"

"Fine. Scrawny."

"I have muscles!"

"Wiry?"

I growled in annoyance. Here was my typical day for the past few months. I should be used to it by now, shouldn't I? "Just GET THIS DOOR OPEN!"

I was in luck that the Janitor happened to be nearby, that day. He managed to get it open, and caught me as I tumbled ungracefully toward the floor. I suddenly remembered how much I'd grown to hate gravity since becoming half-ghost. "Thanks," I mumbled, as Sam and Tucker helped me stand up. He shrugged it off, told me not to play with lockers, and then left. The rest of us were quick to do the same. I was dying to get home.

By the time I reached the front door, Jazz was there waiting for me. That usually didn't mean anything good. "Danny," she said with a frown. "Phantom wont wake up."

THAT got my attention. I dashed past her into the house, Tucker and Sam following. I caught sight of my ghostly half lying on the couch—thanks to the fact that he's glowing—and skidded to a stop next to Mom and Dad. We all looked down at him with worried expressions.

His eyes were closed, and he lay completely still on the couch without any kind of movement or breath at all. He looked exhausted, and one of his arms was slumped over his chest. He wasn't even glowing as bright as usual. Instantly I was worried. "What did you do to me?" I blurted accusingly. I blinked, then quickly said, "I mean _him_. What did you do to HIM? He wasn't like this when I left!"

"We drained his energy by accident," Mom explained slowly, a worried frown crossing her face. "We were only trying to understand how ghosts retain their energy…we weren't trying to drain him. But now he wont wake up."

"Duh, cause he needs to rest to get it back," I rolled my eyes. Leave it to my parents to do something like that. I let my eyes rest on him, a worried expression on my face. There I lay…a totally different person from my own self. I couldn't even feel what he could. Which was weird to me. I kept thinking that I'd be able to or something. I reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder, concerned, and pulled back as a tiny electrical shock traveled from my hand into his shoulder. For a fleeting moment, his eye twitched, and then he was completely still again.

"I think he just needs to recharge," Tucker said in a clam voice. "He can do it himself over a period of time, or you can create a device to recharge him if something like this happens!" He smiled at my parents. "It would certainly help with your experiments…"

"He's right, Maddie!" Dad grinned. "Let's build a Fenton Ghost Recharger! That way he wont be accidentally damaged by anything else we do!"

"Hmm," Mom sighed. "I suppose we could recalibrate the Ghost Energy Analyzer to recharge him or something…but if it were to get in the wrong hands…"

"Just make it ghost proof, so no ghost take advantage of it," I shrugged. "That way only you can use it."

"Good thinking, son!"

I tried to smile, but just kept staring at my other half. A slow realization was coming to me…and I wondered if I, being his other half, might be able to recharge him somehow. I glanced up at Jazz, giving her the look that begged her to get my parents out of the room. To my relief, she seemed to understand.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Jazz exclaimed. She grabbed both our parent's arms and dragged them to the lab. "Get started on it!"

I took that moment to go into action, and placed both of my hands on Phantom's shoulders. The electrical shock made me gasp at first, until I realized it was painless. I just stared at him, open-mouthed, as channels of unseen energy traveled from my arms into his body, leaving me feeling more and more tired. Finally I pulled away, afraid that I would knock myself out if I did too much, and stepped back to look at him. "I can't even believe that actually worked," I blurted. But I grinned when he opened his eyes lazily. "Hey Phantom," I said cockily. "Looks like you need me after all."

He blinked, then turned his head to look at me. He was completely confused, and I couldn't help finding it amusing. I guess this is what Sam likes about teasing me. I'm so clueless sometimes. "No duh, stupid," he replied presently, smirking. He sat up with a groan, and grabbed his head. "But you couldn't have come at a better time. And speaking of time…what time _is _it?"

"About 3:04," Tucker explained.

Phantom's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you serious?" He stood up, grabbed my shoulder for support, and unconsciously drained a little bit more of my energy. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he stopped. "I guess I'm more drained than I thought. Have any ghosts come through?"

I shook my head. "Come on, you need to go to your room and lie down," I ordered. "Whatever my parents did, it completely drained you of energy."

Phantom sighed and closed his eyes. "Oh yeah. I remember." He shuddered involuntarily. "It didn't really hurt…it was just exhausting."

"Didn't_really _hurt?" My eyes narrowed dangerously, and everyone stared at me in shock.

"Danny, your eyes just glowed green," Sam said.

Both Phantom and I blinked at the same time, surprised. Then we stared at each other. They did? My eyes glowed green?

_**I guess we can use each other's powers when we're near each other, **_Phantom thought to me. He looked surprised but pleased. _**That's a relief. I worry about you, especially since you don't have your powers anymore, and you'll need me to come and save you like a damsel in dis… **_

"I'm fine," I said out loud, growling at him a little bit. To my annoyance, his smirk only grew wider. "But you aren't. Now get upstairs and rest!" I began to drag him towards the stairs, Sam and Tucker following. We never made it there before Mom interrupted us.

"Danny sweetie, will you bring Phantom down here? We fixed the machine to recharge him!" Mom called, sounding pleased with herself.

Phantom and I stared at each other, both of us uneasy. "Can it wait?" I asked hopefully. "He's awake now…"

"No Danny, bring him down right now."

We both cringed, then turned to our best friends. "Great," I intoned. "Looks like we're going to find out if this works or not."

"You're going to let your parents try some untested machine on poor Phantom here?" Sam asked, shocked. "You don't know what it could do to him!"

"The machine is probably fine," Tucker waved his hand. "It's your parents I'm worried about."

I rolled my eyes. Typical Tucker.

"Guys," Phantom sighed in resignation. I already knew what he was going to say. "I do this kind of stuff every day. It'll be fine. They promised not to hurt me, and they didn't mean to drain my energy. It'll probably be a good idea to get recharged. I may need it in case a ghost attacks!"

"I don't like it," I growled. I knew from my friend's expressions and by Phantom's grin that my eyes had glowed green again. "I don't want them to do ANY experiments on me. Or……um…you."

"Well…._we_ don't exactly have a choice, do we?" Phantom phased through my hands, and then floated down through the stairs. "You guys coming or not?"

Grudgingly, I followed Phantom down the stairs to the lab. Okay well technically, the lab is that giant metal room on top of the house, above my room. It's a big lab, and Mom and Dad call it the Ops Center. But in the basement underground is the Ghost Portal, and some of the experiments are done down there…to make sure no ghosts come through. Mom and Dad have been getting paranoid lately. The Ops lab is only used when making things that could be harmful, while the Basement Lab is used more frequently. In fact, Jazz and I aren't even allowed in the Ops Center very often.

When I reached the basement lab, Mom was already strapping my ghost half into a machine that gave me shivers the instant I saw it. I couldn't help a reflexive movement of pulling back towards the wall. "You're putting him in THAT?" I asked, the horror pretty evident in my voice.

"It's not that bad, sweetie," Mom comforted me with a smile. She pressed a button, and the table holding Phantom slid into the machine. "We're just going to recharge him, that's all. It wont do anything else, I promise. You see, we were able to find out from the test this morning how to work with a ghost's energy, and figured out just how to do it. So don't worry about a thing."

I could see Phantom inside through the glass, and felt a pang of guilt wash over me when he turned to look at me. I could tell he was less than excited to be in there. He was afraid. And here I was, backed up against the wall. I sighed, then walked forward until I was right next to the glass, and placed my hand on it. "No worries," I told him. _It'll be okay…_

Phantom smiled, looking much braver than I felt. I couldn't help wondering if my own sense of bravery and responsibility came from him, or if I was the one who had given it to him. Whatever the case, he needed it more than me. _**No worries, **_he thought back. He didn't take his eyes off of mine, even when Mom started the machine.

"There are three different kinds of ghost ecto-plasmic energies," Mom explained slowly. "Phantom's are green, though he can use blue at a greater cost. Red, or sometimes pink, is what your Father and I have determined 'evil', and it corrupts the green and blue energies to a great extent. But to make a long story short, we're going to recharge him with green ecto-energy."

I nodded. I just bit my lip and watched. Phantom closed his eyes once, as the green energy swirled around him, but then he opened them again to smile at me. It was like he was telling me he was fine…only he couldn't speak to me, not even through our mental link. I didn't have time to ask him how he was doing before the machine stopped, and then automatically opened and pulled him out. I was by his side faster then I could remember how I got there. "Hey," I ordered. "You okay?"

Phantom stared up at me, a smirk in his eyes. "Course I am," he answered simply. "Your Mom promised not to hurt me, remember? And it didn't hurt. I feel fully recharged."

"Good, cause if you're lying I'm going to…"

"I don't lie, Danny." He rolled his eyes. "The Ghost Lie Detectors that are installed all throughout the house would tell you if I did. So just chill! Trust your Mom for once!"

I gritted my teeth, then stepped back and crossed my arms. Mom undid the straps and let him go, watching us with a confused expression. She still finds it hard to believe how close Phantom and I are. But that's cause she doesn't know. Phantom floated above us, then landed next to me. He grinned and ruffled my hair, making it much messier than it already was, simply because he knows that I don't like it. "Stop it," I muttered, pulling away and trying to straiten my black hair.

"If you say so," he snickered. He turned to Mom and Dad. "Do you need me for anything else, or can I hang out with Danny, Sam, and Tucker?" He gave her a pleading puppy-dog look that I had spent years trying to perfect. To me, he just looked silly. But his glowing green eyes seemed to make the effect look more innocent.

"I suppose this means the recharger works," Mom rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Go ahead. We'll call you. And make sure you come tell us before going off to hunt ghosts!"

"Yes!" Phantom did a flip in the air. Yep, definitely recharged. "Thank you! Just call me if you need me!" He hugged my Mom tightly, then hugged my Dad, then Jazz, and then zoomed through the ceiling. I already knew he was probably going to try to freak me out or something when I made my way upstairs. Sometimes, he's just so much different than me! How can we possibly be the same person?

I stared at everyone's blinking faces, then rolled my eyes. "Well wouldn't you be like that if YOU were cooped up and experimented on all the time? Sheesh. You'd figure he's got head-trauma by now!" I walked up the stairs, followed by my friends, then turned back to smile at my parents. "Oh….and thanks," I said. Then hurried to get to my room. I already knew he was waiting for me there, but I wasn't prepared for his attack.

"GAAAH!" He screamed, grabbing me and hanging me upside-down. He phased my feet through the ceiling, then left me stuck like that. He collapsed on my bed in laughter. "Oh no Luke Skywalker!" he cackled. "The Hoth Monster is coming to get you!" he made a contorted face, drooling in a gross expression, and held out his fingers threateningly.

"PHANTOM!" I screamed. "If you even THINK about tickling me…."

"Use the Force, Luke!" Phantom continued to cackle, getting closer and closer. He hovered around me, teasing me by poking me in the ribs.

It didn't help that I was incredibly ticklish. "STOOOOOP!" I yelled, trying desperately to keep my trade-mark shirt from falling into my face. "SAM! TUCKER! HELP ME!"

I hung from the ceiling in fury as my two best friends simply tried to contain their laughter, and Phantom died lying on the floor. I glared at Tucker angrily when he snapped a picture of me, and snapped out as many insults as I could think of.

But who was I kidding? It was my typical day.

(------)

_That's it._

_Thanks for your help, support, critiques, and everything else. I need all the help I can get!_

_Lemme know what you think!_

_---rika195_


	8. Changing: part 3

**Complicated Mess**

A Danny Phantom Story

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What if Danny separated himself from his ghost powers? That's what this story is about. Which is pretty much a DUH if you've been reading this far. lol. It probably NEVER happens, and it's just for fun, so don't expect it to be perfect. I already know it's full of flaws. However, I hope you enjoy it!

I don't own Danny Phantom, and I never will. Danny Phantom belongs to Butch Hartman and Nickalodean. Or however you spell it.

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Thanks to these incredibly helpful and awesome reviewers:

**too-much-inspiration  
Aooy  
Artgirl4  
mhmmm  
-kyuubi11-  
Thunderstorm101**

You are my heroes. Thanks.

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Changing: Part Three

Phantom's POV:

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I might have started off with a crappy day, but three hours later found me laughing my head off with my friends as we took turns playing Doomed, cracked jokes about Danny being clueless, and made plans for the rest of the week. I completely forgot that I was really just Danny's other half, and for a while just enjoyed my time thinking I was best friends with everyone. Because I am. It was only when we began to cool down and think about dinner that I began to remember how strangely out of place I am in this situation. And my silence began to make the others stare at me.

"Anything wrong?" Sam asked, staring at me with her vivid violet eyes. Like Danny, I still find myself constantly pulled in when I look into them. It makes it hard to think sometimes. Heh. She calls me clueless. In reality it's because she makes me brain-dead. Or makes Danny brain-dead. Or maybe she makes both of us brain-dead. Whatever the case, we both like her. I guess it's cause we're the same person.

"Yeah, you're pretty quiet now. Ghost attack?" Tucker glanced at me with a smirk, which widened considerably after I managed to tear my gaze away from Sam's amazing eyes. He can see through me—and Danny—pretty easily. It still bugs me sometimes. At least I have the capability not to blush right now, seeing as I'm a ghost. I don't have blood.

"No," I answered, lying down on my back. I was levitating myself in the air, simply because it's easy to do, and it's kind of fun. And it makes the others jealous. Especially Danny. "I just…feel kind of depressed, I guess."

That had everyone's attention. "Why?" Danny asked. The look on his face betrayed that he already knew. "Because we're separated?"

"Well…yeah." I sighed, wondering why I kept doing that if I didn't even have lungs. "I mean…what if we're separated forever like this? What will happen to me? And what will happen to you? I just don't know what to think anymore. It's almost like I'm an entirely different person, and I don't even know how to deal with it anymore. What if….what if we can't go back to the way it was?" I felt my eyes widen, shocked at the words coming out of my mouth. I hardly even realized that it bothered me so much…that I was so scared. But I _was_ scared, and I didn't know how to deal with being in this situation forever.

Apparently, no one else did either. They simply couldn't come up with anything to say. All they could do was stare at me helplessly, trying to convey that they still cared. But was that comforting?

"Look," Sam sighed, crossing her arms. I knew she was about to lecture me, so I turned my head and stared at her with unblinking eyes. "No matter what happens, we'll stand by you. You're a part of Danny, and he's our best friend. That means you're our best friend too. Heck, you ARE Danny. And yeah we all hope that this can go back to normal, but if it doesn't, then we're going to make do with what we've got. Don't even worry about it. Okay?"

"That's right! And we know you'll still be there to protect us, whether you're Danny or Phantom or both. And we'll always stick by you, even if you really are a split personality…" Tucker wheezed out a laugh at his joke, pointing at both Danny and me. "Get it? Split personality?" He sobered up at Danny's and my identical glare. "Sorry. But you get the point. You're the same thing, so we're here for you. Right?"

"Right," Sam nodded. She looked at me and Danny both, since the two of us were obviously experiencing the same doubts and worries.

"I guess," Danny mumbled. He glanced over at me blankly.

I winced upon meeting his eyes, and lowered myself to a cross-legged position on the inflatable mattress in Danny's room. Mom had given it to me to sleep on...not that I needed it or anything. "Danny…" I sighed as I spoke his name. "I know you miss your ghost powers…and I miss being human. I know we both miss having things the way they were. But what if we _can't _fix this? What if we're stuck like this forever? I mean…would you…would you hate me?"

I turned intangible just in time, barely escaping the heavy chemistry book he threw at me. "Don't be an idiot," he rolled his eyes. "I could no more hate you than I could hate myself."

"Which….you do sometimes," I reminded him with a grin.

"Listen Phantom," he threatened, his eyes gleaming green again. I have to admit the sight threw me off momentarily. "You may be experiencing some doubts and all right now, but that's because you're **me**. And I feel the same thing. But if we can't merge back into one person again, I'll still think of you as family or something, to say the least. Got it? So don't start feeling sorry for your self or I'm going to have to…" his voice trailed off. "Um…have to…." Suddenly, a sneaky grin appeared on his face. I didn't like where he was going. "I'll have to use the boomerang on you."

"Oh come on," I laughed, instinctively cringing. Man did that thing hurt. "You wouldn't!" I blinked. "Okay maybe you would. And you'd get a kick out of it. Heck, if I didn't know better, I'd say you're thinking about all the ways you can pick on me, despite the fact that I'm you!"

Danny grinned and shrugged. "Who says I'm not?"

"You're actually thinking about picking on me?"

"It would be kind of funny, wouldn't it?" Danny's smirk just grew wider, and Sam and Tucker began to grin as well. "There could be advantages to being separated, you know!"

"You'd just be picking on yourself, weirdo," I rolled my eyes.

"Not until we…"

"Oh be quiet I don't want to hear it." I grinned and reached over, tickling him in all the spots that I knew I was most ticklish. To my delight, it worked. He collapsed on his back, laughing hysterically, and begged me to stop it. I did, cause he asked, but I couldn't help teasing him. "You pick on me, I pick on you," I told him. "Then you really WILL be picking on yourself."

He didn't have time to answer before someone knocked on the door, and Jazz walked in. "Okay guys," she stated. "Dinner is ready, so come downstairs. Phantom, you too." She sighed and shook her head. "You know, this is really weird to get used to, having you separated like this, Danny. It's not like all the other times. I keep thinking you're two different people now. Talk about messed up!"

"Tell me about it," I rolled my eyes. She left the room, and we all stood up. We'd been sitting on my inflatable bed. "Hey Danny," I mumbled, a sudden thought coming to me. "If we're separated, why do your eyes glow green sometimes? And how come you have the ghost sense? Does this mean that we're connected somehow? Or that even though we separated, your ghost powers are coming back?"

Everyone stared at me with shocked faces. "I don't know," Danny admitted. "Do you think that….that I still _am _Danny Phantom? And that all I did was create a clone of myself?"

I shivered. "That's creepy," I told him. "I don't want to be a clone!"

"But what if you are?" he persisted. "What does that mean?"

"That there's going to be two Danny Phantoms, that's what it means!" I couldn't help holding my head in frustration. "And Vlad is no doubt going to be trying to get ONE of us to join him. I guess we're lucky he doesn't know yet."

"Oh he knows," Danny growled. I raised an eyebrow at him. "He called Mom as soon as she reported to the news that she had Phantom in custody, and was running experiments on him. She's let the entire public know, and with our help, convinced everyone that you're here to help. It's a good thing too, cause otherwise the Guys In White would be after me! Or…you. Whatever. As long as she has control over you, everyone is fine with you going off and saving the day. So yeah, he knows. He just hasn't done anything yet."

"Maybe that's why it's so quiet lately." I crossed my arms in thought. "He's probably planning something big."

"And we'd better be prepared," Danny agreed. He glared at the floor, his hands balled up in fists. He hated himself for using the net, hated that he couldn't be the one fighting ghosts, hated that this was his mistake. My mistake. Our mistake. And I hated it too.

I hated to think that I wasn't….me. And worse, that everyone had just come to accept that we're separated. Only Sam understands, and she doesn't like it either. She's just too nice to make Danny feel even worse for his rash action. I glanced over at her, watching Danny with a frown. She didn't really know what to say anymore.

I wished she would just say it. That "you're stupid, Danny." That "it's all your fault." That "you should never have done it."

And I hated myself too. If I hadn't been so lazy, if I'd just split myself like Vlad does, then I wouldn't be here right now. I'd just be me. Danny. **_But I'm not_**.

"DINNER!" Jazz yelled from downstairs, and we all suddenly remembered why we were standing. All of us headed for the door and down the stairs. I flew, of course. It's much easier.

"What if it is true?" Sam whispered to us. "What if all Danny did was clone himself? What if there are two of him now?"

"Then we'll have twice the power?" Tucker joked. "Maybe?"

I winced again and tried not to think any more about it. Me….a clone. I wasn't Danny, I was Phantom….but then maybe I wasn't even that anymore. Shuddering, I joined the family for dinner at the table—or rather, I sat with them and watched them eat. It's already been declared that ghosts can't eat, nor do they have to, so I don't get dinner. But that doesn't mean I don't wish I could eat. Something as normal as eating seems so foreign now. So I sighed and tried to remain cheerful, while watching the others eat and enjoy themselves. They didn't pay as much attention to me. I was just…there.

I pushed away the anger that made me feel nauseas. It wasn't doing anything for me to hate myself for being separated. I guess the saying "you reap what you sow" really is true. I glanced over at my other half munching darkly on his food. He looked like he was struggling to do the same thing. **_Man, _**I thought, making eye contact with him. **_I just wish I understood everything. It's annoying to not know what to do or expect. _**

_Yeah, tell me about it,_ Danny nodded sourly, while eating his food. _But we'll figure this out. We're a team, remember? Besides, I have a feeling that I didn't just clone you. The Ghost Catcher separates ghosts from its powers, and that's what it did to me. The only reason my eyes flash is because we're still connected somehow. And it only happens when I'm around you. So don't worry about it, okay? _

I nodded. **_I'll try, _**I grimaced. **_But thanks anyway. _**

_Wow. I will never get used to talking to myself like I'm someone else. _

**_Ha. Me neither. I mean, it helps to just pretend you're a brother, but… _**we stared helplessly at each other.

_I know, _he ended, and gave it up. I wisely followed his lead not to dwell on the issue anymore.

The rest of dinner I spent half-listening to everyone's conversations…wondering what I was going to do with myself…wondering what Vlad was up to…wondering what test I'd go through next…and then suddenly realizing that I'd zoned out again. I tended to do that a lot lately. Huh. I never really zoned out like this before I was separated. I glanced over at Danny to see what he thought, and blinked in confusion. What in the world was that sly smirk on Danny's face supposed to mean?

Oh duh.

I smirked right back, my mind going in the same direction. We both happened to remember that we're very easy to tease. And if he was thinking about playing a prank on his Ghost Half, then…well…

I let a plot of my own fill my head, thinking about all the ways I could get back at him. **_Pick on me, Danny, and you pick on yourself._**

_Except that if you fight back…_

**_Oh don't bring Mom into this! It's between me and you, buddy! _**

_Bring it on, Phantom! _

I floated backwards a bit, flexing my hands with a grin. We stared at each other in silence, trying to come up with a plan without letting the other know about it, which was hard and easy at the same time. First, because we had a mental connection to each other. So although we couldn't know what the other was thinking unless we talked directly, we were the same. It was undoubtedly impossible for us to not think alike.

So I wasn't worried too much about the whole clone thing. We'd figure it out, somehow. For now, we'd just enjoy the game, and put self loathing on the back burner where it belonged.

(------)

_Sorry it's short, and poor. But I have to get going again. Next chapter will be better, I promise._

_Some food for thought… if you divided yourself in half, as two wholly separate people, and spent enough time that way…how do you think you'd handle being shoved back into one person again? And while you were separated, you got used to having only half of your personality, and gradually got back the rest as you continued to act like your normal self. __You'd have two separate minds with two separate memories, being merged back into one. __Perhaps you'd have changed…become something else. Maybe you'd be a split personality for the rest of your life._

_How do you get a happy ending out of that?_

_Well, if anyone can do it…Danny can, right? ~_^_

_Rika195_


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